CICED2008 Technical Session 4 Distributed power generation and integration technology
84-10 CP1664
Green Power Generation Technology for
Distributed Power Supply
LIAO HONGKAI ,xu CHENGHONG ,SONG JINGHUI ,YU YUEXI
(Electric Power Research Institute Of Guangdong Power Grid Corporation, 510600)
Abstract:
This paper would discuss and analyze the
advantages and disadvantages of the green power
generation technologies such as solar, wind energy, fuel
cells, biomass power generation and micro-gas turbines,
etc that can be used for generating distributed power.
We would focus our discussion on distributed power
supply by using solar power generation technology. The
focus would also follow with the technology of using
"Conversion system of light -heat by the focus solar on
high temperature" to realize distributed power supply.
By using low-cost and high-temperature molten salt as
the medium for power generation, the power generation
technology is of low-cost, high conversion efficiency,
flexible deploy of capacity and power generation mode,
and is highly reliable, economic, and environmental. It is
a brand-new green power generation technology, which
will bring new direction of development for production
industries of clean energy after its further optimization
and improvement.
Keywords:
Distributed resource; Solar power; Green power
generation
1. Introduction
Distributed Generation(DG) or Distributed
Resource(DR) generally refers to small generating units
or Distributed Generation(DG)+Energy Storage(ES) that
are connected in the vicinity of the user side to meet the
demand of some end-users. Their capacity is generally
small size, that range from a few dozen Kilowatts to tens
of Megawatts. Common DG includes these
environmentally friendly energy such as natural gas,
hydrogen, solar, wind energy, etc. DR can make use of
various energy technologies. Generally speaking, DR
system is directly connected to 380 V or 10kV
distribution network system or operate independently.
Generally speaking, Distributed Resource can be
divided into the following kinds:
(I)Generation system that apply these technologies
as the main core, such as Gas Turbine that use natural
gas as fuel, Gas Engine or Internal Combustion
Reciprocating Engines, Micro-turbine.
(2)Fuel cells generation system that includes
Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cell(PAFC), Proton Exchange
Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC), Molten Carbonate
Fuel Cell(MCFC), Solid Oxide Fuel Cell(SOFC),etc.
(3)Photo-Voltaic cell generation system
(4)Wind power generation system
(5)Biomass energy generation system
(6)The main significance of the development of
DR lies in the following aspects:
(I)Economic
Compared to traditional large power plants, DR
generation system has the features of low investment
costs, risks small, covering less, the short construction
period. As DR generation systems are built near the
load center, without building costly power
transmission network and substations. Its transmission
distribution loss is low, and it can decrease the huge
investment and power loss due to long-distance
transmission.
(2)Environmental Protection
As using natural gas as fuel or hydrogen, solar,
wind energy, it can reduce emissions of harmful
substances, reducing the pressure of environmental
protection. A great lot of nearby power supply can
reduce the construction of large-capacity long-distance
high-voltage transmission line. This will not only
reduce the electromagnetic pollution due to high
voltage transmission lines, but also can reduce the land
area and line corridors of high-voltage transmission. It
can reduce the tree felling, and is conducive to
environmental protection.
(3) Diversity of Energy Uses
DR can use a variety of energy, such as clean
energy (gas), new energy (hydrogen) and renewable
energy (wind and solar energy, etc.). At the same time,
it can provide users with cold, heat, electricity and
other energy applications. So it is a good way to solve
the energy crisis and energy security issues.
(4) Safe and Reliable Power Supply
DR generation systems are each other
independent. In case of power grid failure, DR can
guarantee its users power supply, and avoid some
disastrous consequences. At the same time, many DR
 CICED2008 Technical Session 4 Distributed power generation and integration technology
generation system connect to the power grids, that can
provide the protection when the DR can not normally
operate due to its own problems. Therefore, DR
generation system built near the user and connected
with the large power grid can greatly enhance the
operation security and reliability of entire energy system,
especially the power system.
(5) Resolutions of Power Supply for Outlying
Areas
Many remote and rural areas in China is far from
the power grid, and it is difficult to supply from the
power grid. Therefore, it may be an optimal way to
make use of the Stand-alone System applying solar,
wind power and biomass power generation.
2. The Type and Characteristics of DR
Generation System
2.1 Micro-turbine Generation System
The single Micro-turbine power capacity range
from 20 to 500 kW, and made the development to 1 MW
grade. Its basic technical characteristics are the uses of
the runoff impeller engine (centrifugal turbine and
centrifugal compressor) and return heat cycle.
Micro-turbine generating units primarily use natural gas,
methane, gasoline and diesel as fuels. There are a series
of advantages with high reliability, long life, low noise,
light weight, small size, low-pollution, multi-fuel and
low fuel consumption. It is the more extensive
application for DR system.
2.2 Wind power generation system
Wind power is a tremendous and renewable energy
without compensation. The comparative advantages of
wind power embodied in: environmental protection,
renewable energy, no fuel consumption, without letting
out CO and polluting the environment. The wind field
can be built on the beach (shallow water) or
desertification without accounting for arable land. Its
technical is maturity, and the development of wind
power only second to the small hydropower. Although
the prospect of wind power applied in DR system is
broad, there are still many key technologies to be
resolved, such as the siting, the volatile of the power
from the wind generation, and the economic of wind
power generation equipment relation with the single
capacity and so on.
2.3 Solar generation system
Solar power generation technology includes two
kinds of solar thermal power generation and
photovoltaic power generation. The power from solar
thermal generate by heating some medium with solar
energy gathered and directly or indirectly generating
2
steam to drive a turbine generator. The photoelectric
power generation, that is photovoltaic cells, is the use
of photovoltaic effect, and directly translating solar
energy into electricity. That is the main form of solar
power now.
The advantages of solar energy lie in:
inexhaustible of solar energy, no environmental
pollution, without geographical restrictions, great
convenience. PV cells can be used as independent
power systems and also connect to the power grid.
However, if the solar power systems can be successful
for applying to DR system, these techniques must still
be resolved, such as how to further reduce costs, how
to resolve the low energy density of the sun, the
change of the radiation strength during 24 hours, and
how to solve the problem of the smooth power. In the
new technique mentioned below, we will solve most of
these problems.
2.4 Fuel cells generation system
Fuel cells use hydrogen directly from fuels
(natural gas, gas, oil, etc.) to react with oxygen in the
air by the help of electrolyte, and form the water at the
same time generating electricity. Materially it is a
course from chemical energy to power. It is simple and
more efficient as directly changing chemical energy
into electrical energy, rather than the traditional
thermal power generation, that the fuel chemical
energy can be converted to thermal energy, and then
the thermal energy converted to mechanical energy,
and then machinery energy again converted to electric
energy, which power generation efficiency is not high.
The fuel cell has the following advantages, such
as the great energy conversion efficiency, zero
emissions, no noise, no vibration, the provincial water,
stable and reliable power output, with a strong ability
to load changes. However, if fuel cell would be
applied cosmically in DR generation system, the costly
costing should be resolved. The installation of fuel cell
costs $3 000 -- 4 000 per kW. Therefore, we need to
research the more key technology to improve the
manufacturing level, and increase production scale and
improve the degree of automation.
3. Using New "Conversion System of Light -heat
By the Focus Solar On High Temperature" to
Realize DR Power Supply
3.1 Solar Generation Technology
Solar energy, that is inexhaustible and no
pollution, is the optimal energy that people are looking
forward to. So people have been exploring the
methods of using solar energy all along. But so far,
more mature and relative economic technology of
solar energy still remains the level of using low
 CICED2008 Technical Session 4 Distributed power generation and integration technology
temperature and low-grade energy production such as
hot water. For the high temperature and high-grade
energy, especially electricity production, due to the
restrictions on technology development, the production
cost is high, and can not be compared to the traditional
fossil energy. There are several solar power technologies
as Following.
3.1.1 Photovoltaic Power Technology
This technology has undergone the development
more than half one century. But so far, the key
technology cannot be breakthrough. That still rest on the
technology of the semiconductor photoelectric
conversion such as single crystal silicon and
polycrystalline silicon. The cost of large-scale power
production is much higher than that of fossil energy. It
cannot meet the needs of large-scale electricity
production in the current economic environment, it
appears to have come to an end by the way to replace or
supplement the traditional power production.
3.1.2 Solar Thermal Power Technology
A. Tower Thermal Power Generation Technology
This technology has been applied on amount of
scale. Its key technology is the tracking control. Because
of its complexity technology and the accuracy
requirements for tracking the implementation, the cost of
lighting units can not be effectively reduced. At the same
time, because its light - thermal conversion occurs in
open space, there are a lot of loss of light reflection and
heat loss. The efficiency of light - thermal is low, its
economic is far from the traditional ways.
B. Trough Solar Thermal Power Generation
Technology
Its key technology is the conversion of light - heat
and the activities connection of hot fluid. As the sunlight
change from the east to the west on one-day, the location
of the line largely changes and a large number of focus
light can not reach the medium surface of light - thermal
conversion during most of time. So the conversion
efficiency is low. Thermal conversion occurs in the open
space, there are the same problems of reflection and heat
loss as the Tower. The integrate efficiency of this
technology is low and it can not be compared with the
conventional power generation in the economic.
C. Disc Type Thermal Power Generation
Technology
This technology is better than the two technology
mentioned above in the economic. Because the
conversion of light - thermal occurs in the heat cavity of
Stirling generation and light reaching the conversion
surface of light - heat increase, the conversion efficiency
significantly improves and the economy of this device
significantly is high. But the flaw of this technology is
also very obvious. The reflection area of single device is
very large. The tracking device would carry the
3
reflection mirror at the same time the power
generation devices. The wind torque must be large and
the mechanical strength must be high. Because of the
error caused by the track as the tracking mode and
electrical shock, part of reflective light cannot reach
the heat cavity and there is a lot of heat loss as the
generator cannot be effectively insulated. The power
can only be stored in the storage batteries. Because the
temperature of the heat cavity in the Stirling generator
is very high, the cost of the generator is expensive and
the comprehensive cost is much higher than the
conventional power generation.
3.2 Conversion System of Light -Heat By The
Focus Solar On High Temperature
The high-temperature molten salt medium can be
produced for power generation on the low cost with
the new Conversion System of Light -Heat By The
Focus Solar On High Temperature.
3.2.1 Main Principle
The sunlight can be location focused through
three times of reflection. The collecting sunlight
reaches the juxtaposition mirror areas of glare focus,
and can be focused on the focus of all glare mirrors
finally to achieve the scale focus. There are small
holes on the focus of the glare mirrors on the
heat-storage channels. The focus lights can enter the
holes to achieve the light- thermal conversion.
According to thermodynamic principle, this mode is
border to the heat transfer conditions of black and can
achieve the high efficient conversion of light - heat.
The sea salt in the channels is used as the medium of
heat transfer and thermal storage. Its technical
principle has been recognized in the actual operation
device and has mastered the tracking control
technology to meet the demands of high precision and
economical. The medium of sea salt can be heated to
above 800 ·C after three reflections. It can cooperate
with the existing power generators, and meet the scale
requirements. The Fig.l is the picture of this device.
Fig.l Conversion System of Light -Heat By The
Focus Solar On High Temperature
 CICED2008 Technical Session 4 Distributed power generation and integration technology

3.2.2 Technical Features 4. Conclusion

The capacity of heat storage is unlimited, and the
mode of planning construction is convenient and flexible,
and it can cooperate with generating devices of the
different capacities and different ways. It may be power
ways of steam turbine or gas turbine generation. Its
geometric height is low, and makes easy to resist wind.
The movement of each unit is same and the control is
simple. Its reliability is high and the cost is cheap. There
are no special requirements for the implementing
agencies of the slowdown and the electrical equipments.
The low cost of the equipment can be achieved in
high-precision equipments.
There is heat radiation loss only during three times
process of reflection, and thus the efficiency of energy
transfer, conversion and using is high.
All the components could achieve mass production,
and can fully satisfy the needs of large scale and
industrialized.
The intermediate heat transfer medium (salt) can be
heated to above the phase transition temperature. It can
achieve the high-temperature storage at the same time
providing high-grade thermal. The yearly using time of
power generation equipment substantially increase. The
condition of heat exchange in the heat-storage channels
is stability, and the enormous areas in the heat-storage
channels can guarantee the immediate and flexible load
adjustment of power generator. This will help improve
the integrated economy of power generation equipments.
The technology of Distributed Generation is an
emerging technology. It can be developed
accompanied by the development of renewable energy
technology. We will pay more attention to DR with the
enhancement of the awareness of the environmental.
The reform of the electricity market will promote the
development of distributed generation technology.
Use the "Conversion System of Light -Heat By
The Focus Solar On High Temperature" as the
Distributed Resource technology. It can produce the
high-temperature molten salt medium for power
generation on the low cost. There are many advantages
such as its low-cost, high conversion efficiency, the
allocation flexibility of capacity and power generation
mode, reliability, economy and better environmental
protection for this technology. This technology is a
new green power generation technology. After the
further optimize and improve, it can be expected to be
the new direction of development in the field of clean
energy.

3.2.3 Expectation of Development

At present the investment of per kilowatt of this

system account with the cost of wind power, but its
generation capacity is much higher than that of wind
power. At the same time the selectivity of construction
site is much better than that of wind power. So its
economy is more prefer than that of wind power and
other solar power. With further optimization of the
technical process, its cost will be the same as the
conventional coal power.
At present the results achieved has demonstrated a
bright prospect for the future development. There are the
gas turbine equipments of different capacity in the
current market. We can choice dozens of kilowatt
micro-turbine for the further development, and the
whole process of development of the related technology
will be achieved with not more than 10 million
investment. After all relevant development of the
demonstration units, this technology will be fully
consummated, and we will be expected to lead the world
in clean energy production. This technology will be
expected to bring human endless energy, and bring the
world the fresh air and the beautiful blue sky.