Report National Workshop on Solar Thermal Power Generation (April 28, 2008)

Sponsored by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy Government of India, New Delhi

Organised by Department of Energy Science and Engineering Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, Powai, Mumbai 400 076.

Background
India faces a significant gap between electricity demand and supply. Demand is increasing at a very rapid rate compared to the supply. In order to meet the situation, a number of options are considered. Power generation using freely available solar energy is one such option. The generation of power through solar thermal route, however, poses a number of challenges such as the availability of technology, adaptation of the conventional power cycles to suit particular solar thermal technology, issues related to indigenous development of the technology, availability of the industrial and technological capacities to support such developments on a wider scale, etc. Besides, there is not enough experience of operating grid-connected solar thermal power plants. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India has recently announced a policy to provide generation based incentive for the power generated from solar and fed to the grid.

Under this scenario, it is required to develop indigenous capabilities not only to install the solar thermal power plants based on imported technologies, but also to design, develop and install these plants in the country based on indigenous expertise and equipment. The development of indigenous capabilities would certainly get boosted if a solar thermal power plant is built in India as a demonstration-cum-research facility. This facility would not only help in developing indigenous capability, but it would also serve as a national resource centre. Under this background, a one-day national workshop was organised on April 28, 2008 at IIT Bombay to discuss various issues connected to the generation of power through solar thermal route and recommend an action plan. It was sponsored by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India.

Objectives
The basic objectives of the proposed workshop were

To identify critical issues related to the technological development of solar thermal power, To identify available capacity in terms of technical and industrial expertise for the development of the technology, Broad identification of the tasks required to be undertaken along with identification of possible partners in each task.

Workshop Report
A large number of participants from various organisations attended the workshop; the total number was 96 excluding the students and staff of IIT Bombay. The participation was only by invitation and was restricted to those who have experience and interest on solar thermal power generation. The

break-up of the organisations is as follows:

Industries (50) Government Institutions and Research Organisations (24) Academic Institutes (22)

A detailed list of participants is given in the Appendix I. The workshop was inaugurated by the Director General of Maharashtra Energy Development Agency. Prof. Krithi Ramamritham, Dean, R & D, IIT Bombay chaired the inaugural function.

The schedule of the workshop was as follows: Inauguration and Overview Power Generation through Medium Temperature Route I (Solar Field) Power Generation through Medium Temperature Route II (Power Plant) Power Generation through Central Tower Route Power Generation through Dish-Stirling Route Discussion on Consortium Approach and Concluding Session The detailed schedule of the workshop is enclosed in Appendix II. The deliberations of the workshop were carried out in four sessions excluding the overview talk and concluding session. Each session began with a basic talk on an energy conversion route. It highlighted the challenges and issues involved, especially under Indian context. This is followed by presentations from Industry participants involved in that energy conversion route. Each session ended with a discussion on various aspects of that route. Sessions I and II were devoted to the medium temperature route. Session III and IV focussed on the central tower and dish Stirling routes respectively. Worlds status and Indian scenarios were discussed under each technology. A lot of commercial interest has been observed world-wide. The installations that have been made in various countries have adopted consortium approach. The participants involved in different aspects of solar thermal power generation presented their views on the proposed solar thermal power generation programme in the country. They also mentioned the specific aspect of their actual involvement in the technology development. Prof. Anand Patwardhan, Executive Director, TIFAC presented a talk on the possible approaches for consortium development. IIT Bombay volunteered to take the lead role in the solar thermal power generation programme through medium temperature route. The presentations made in the workshop have been posted in the following website: http://www.ese.iitb.ac.in and can be accessed from there. The deliberations in the workshop can be summarized as follows: 1. It was agreed that the generation of power through solar thermal routes is desirable for the

country. In this regard, it is important to build a megawatt scale prototype and obtain operating and maintenance experience. It is also desirable to undertake research and developmental activity through this plant for achieving cost reduction. 2. There are major engineering challenges in design and development of components and their integration with power generation system. It is necessary to carry out system simulation and performance optimization so that from the output of the simulation various

technologies/options can be compared and evaluated, and the right choice can be made. 3. The following technological capabilities have been demonstrated in India: (i) Pradyna Consultants and Engineers Pvt Ltd, Pune have design, manufacturing and operational experience of parabolic trough concentrators. (ii) There are many manufacturers of Scheffler concentrators in India. They are available commercially in four sizes having aperture areas of 7.4, 9.5, 12.5 and 16 m2. While many steam cooking systems have been installed using Scheffler concentrators, Gadhia Solar Energy Systems Pvt Ltd., Valsad is developing a 5 MW solar thermal co-generation power plant. (iii) Work is in progress at Bramha Kumari Ashram, Mount Abu on direct steam generation system using Scheffler dishes. A 50 m2 Scheffler dish with a cavity receiver having iron storage for large scale power generation has been developed and is being tested. (iv) Clique Developments Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai have developed and successfully commercialized ARUN 160 paraboloid concentrators. Several ARUN dishes can be used for direct steam generation as well as power generation with capacities 1 to 5 MW. (v) Adhunik Global Energy, Rajkot, is manufacturing steam engines of capacity 5 HP and renewable energy gadgets for domestic use. Given that about 80,000 villages in India, still remain unelectrified, small solar thermal power generation systems combined with a steam engine can supply the electricity demands of such remote villages. 4. A few participants mentioned their tie-ups with international companies for various products used in solar power generation. They are summarised as follows: (i) M/s Ultimate Technologies, Nashik represents Von Ardenne, which manufactures selective coatings for solar absorbers. (ii) Square Engineering Pvt. Ltd., Pune has a tie up with the Wizard power Pty. Ltd., Australia. The company has plans to install solar dish concentrators for power generation at many locations in India.

(iii) M/s Purolator India Limited, Gurgaon represents Infinia Corporation, USA who manufactures Stirling Engines used in dish for power generation. 5. A few institutes and organisations are actively pursuing research activities in various aspects of solar thermal power generation. The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai and the Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute, Bhavnagar are involved in the development of solar power generation system using heliostats. IIT Bombay is involved in the development of indigenous Stirling Engines and the initial capacity target is 1.5 kWe. 6. There exists a distinct gap between the technological capabilities existing in India compared to what is required for installing and operating solar thermal power plants. Consequently efforts are necessary to (a) carry out the basic developmental work on various components, (b) install a plant for studying the integration aspects of solar field with power generation cycle and understanding operational issues of such plants, (c) develop test facilities for characterising various components so that the quality of their production in the country can be improved. 7. Significant discussions were made on merits and demerits of the three routes of solar power generation, namely, using parabolic trough concentrators, dish and heliostats. A variety of opinions were presented on the merits of centralised and decentralised power generation schemes. It was argued that the work should be pursued in all the three routes of solar power generation at National level. 8. India has a significant amount of technological expertise on various types of heat exchangers, waste heat recovery boilers, power cycle and other related components. As far as their usages in solar thermal power generation are concerned, the development of these components would require very little incremental effort. 9. Different possible consortia approaches were discussed for involving academia, R&D institutions and industry. A number of industry participants expressed their willingness to join in this National endeavour under a consortium approach.

Way Forward
Based on the deliberations in the workshop, it was concluded that efforts should be immediately be started to install a solar thermal power plant in the country for obtaining necessary experience on its design, installation, operation and maintenance. The Ministry of

New and Renewable Energy may take appropriate steps in implementing this recommendation as it has already taken an initiative by announcing a policy on installing grid interactive solar thermal power plants. Work should be pursued in all the three routes, namely, using parabolic trough concentrators, dish-Stirling and heliostats for generating power at National level. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy may take initiative in getting prototypes made. A consortium approach was recommended to develop the solar thermal power generation technology in the country. The consortium may include academia, government and industry partnerships. The Department of Energy Science and Engineering at IIT Bombay expressed the desire to take the lead role in the solar thermal power generation programme through medium temperature route. The objective of this proposed activity is Development of a prototype on medium temperature solar thermal power generation and establishment of a national test facility. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India may like to identify institutes/organisations to lead the consortium for pursuing solar thermal power generation through dish-Stirling and heliostats. As a first step, a detailed report is required to be prepared, which would include information on the latest status of the technology, the road map of the project and identify the possible consortium partners. Specifically, the report may cover

reviews on the International status on concentrated solar power generation reviews on the National status on concentrated solar power generation and identify gaps studies on various options for medium temperature concentrated solar power generation under Indian context and finalise recommendations the road map for developing prototype medium temperature concentrated solar power in MW scale the detailed information on the establishment of a national test facility identification of the industry and academia consortium partners

As a part of its initiative, IIT Bombay proposed to prepare a report on solar thermal power generation through medium temperature route. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India may like to get similar reports prepared on other technology routes.

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Appendix I

Participant list

Industries Sr. No 1. Organisation ACC Name of Participant Mr. A.K. Pathak Address ACC limited, Technicl Support Services, ACC Thane Complex, LBS Marg, Thane - 400 604 DLF Infinity Tower, Building C, 9th Floor, DLF Cyber City, Phase II, Gurgaon 122 002 Tinytech Plants, Tagore Road, Rajkot Aditya Enterprises Marol Maroshi Road, Off Military Road, Marol, Andheri (E), Mumbai 400 059 Mount Abu 134, AB, Government Industrial Area, Charkup, Kandivli (W), Mumbai 400 067 3 Shreenivas Classic, 2nd Floor, Baner Road, Pune 411 045.

2.

ACME Tele Power Ltd. Adhunik Global Energy Aditya Borosil Glass Works Ltd

Mr. N. Venkataraman ([email protected]) Mr. V. K. Desai ([email protected]) Mr. Rhushikesh Joshi Mr. V. Ramaswami ([email protected]) Mr. Shreevar Kheruka (shreevar.kheruka @borosil.com) Mr. J. Golo Pilz ([email protected]) Mr. A. D. Paranjape ([email protected]) Mr. S. Pathak Mr. Pradeep K. Mankar ([email protected]) Dr. Vishal Sardeshpande ([email protected]) Mr. Samir Gijare ([email protected]) Mr. Raju Halbe ([email protected]) Dr. Kamlesh Pande ([email protected]) Mr. Deepak Gadhia ([email protected]) Mr. Badal Shah ([email protected]) Mr. Bakool Khanderia ([email protected]) Dr. C. Suresh Kumar (sureshkumar.chellian@kggroup. com)

3. 4. 5.

6. 7.

Brahma Kumaris Clique Developments Pvt Ltd

8.

Eco-axis Systems Pvt Ltd

9. 10.

11. 12.

Forbes Marshall Gadhia Solar Energy Systems Pvt. Ltd. Kentech Konsulteam KG Design Services Pvt. Ltd

A-31, MIDC 'H' Block, Pimpri, Pune 411 018 Plot No. 86, Old GIDC Gundlav, Valsad 396 035, Gujarat

13 Mamta-D, A Marathe Marg, Prabhadevi, Mumbai 400 025 KG Campus, Saravanampatti, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, 642 035

13.

L&T

Mr. G. Sadekar
([email protected])

Mr. V.E. Chandrasekhar ([email protected]) Mr. S. Mulgaonkar

Heavy Engineering Division, L & T, E-4 Bldg., Ist floor,Gate No.1, Powai Campus, Saki Vihar Road, Mumbai 400 072 3rd Floor, Mahindra Tower, Worli, Mumbai 400 018 38th MILESTONE, NH 8, Behrampur Road, Khandsa , 122 001, Gurgaon B-985 Ansals Palam Vihar, Gurgaon 122 017 1187/1, Shivajinagar, Sumukh Society, Pune 411 016

14. 15.

16. 17.

18.

Mahindra & Mahindra MAHLE (Purolator India Ltd.) Motorwind Power Pvt. Ltd Pradnya Consultants & Engineers Pvt. Ltd. Single Watts Solar Energy Square Engg Pvt. Ltd

Mr. Priyesh Pandey ([email protected]) Mr. Prakash Bhalekar

Mr. Manu Sharma ([email protected]) Mr. Dilip V. Apte ([email protected])

Mr. Suresh Mirchandani ([email protected]) Mr. Deepak S. Kelkar Mr. Sunil P. Mayabhate Mr. Arthur Zawadski Mr. Faiz Rizvi Mr. D. Sanghvi ([email protected]) Mr. H. Parekh ([email protected]) Mr. Shishir B. Nevatia ([email protected]) Mr. V. S. Uppin ([email protected]) Mr. N. Murali Mr. Arunavo Mukerjee
([email protected])

19.

Opp. Green Field Hotel, Sinhagad Road, Dhayari, Pune 411 041 Shradhha House, Shirole Road, Off J.M. Road, Pune 411 001 ([email protected]) 1, National Mill Compound, S.V. Road, Dahisar (E), Mumbai 400 068. No. 116, SDF IV, Seepz, Andheri (E), Mumbai 400 096 103, Gera Sterling, North Main Road, Koregaon Park, Pune 411 001 3rd Floor, Sterling Centre, Dr. Annie Besant Road, Worli, Mumbai 400 018. Matulya Centre A, 249 Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (W), Mumbai 400 013. 31-A, Giriraj Industrial Estate, Mahakali Caves Road, Andheri(E), Mumbai 400 093. ([email protected]) 148 Green House, Thermax Ltd., Bombay-Pune Road, Pimpri, Pune 411 018

20.

SP Solar Pvt. Ltd.

21.

22.

Sunshine Renewable Energy Ltd Tata BP Solar India Ltd Tata International Ltd. TCE Consulting Engineers Ltd. Technochem Agencies(Bom bay) Pvt. Ltd. Thermax Ltd

23.

24.

Mr. P. D. Gupta ([email protected]) Mr. Sriram Kulkarni Mr. Pramod Pisharody Mr. Vishwas Bhave Mr. C. R. Subramaniam Mr. K. Viswanathan Mr. Vishal Mehra
([email protected])

25.

26.

27. 28.

Ultimate Technologies WISE

Mr. J. H. Jangada ([email protected]) Mr. Rakesh Sharma Mr. M. R. Jayashima ([email protected]) Mr. G. S. Deshpande ([email protected]) Dr. R.R. Sonde ([email protected]) Mr. Mohan R. Vyawahare ([email protected]) Mr. Ashwin Gambhir

SLUY-1, A20, MIDC, Ambad, Nashik 422 010. 49, Hindustan Estates, Road No.2, Kalyani Nagar, Pune 411 006. ([email protected])

Government Institutions and Research Organisations

1. 2.

AERB BARC

Mr. Animesh Patel ([email protected]) Mr. A. K. Pal ([email protected]) Mr. Bikash K. Jaiswal ([email protected]) Mr. Ananta Joshi ([email protected]) Dr. P. K. Vijayan ([email protected]) Mr. G. K. Agarwal ([email protected]) Mr. V.K. Telang ([email protected])

IPSD, AERB, Niyamak Bhavan, Anushakti Nagar, Mumbai 400 094. Hall 7, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400 094.

3.

BHEL

4. 5.

CSMCRI MEDA

Mr. Y. K. Taly ([email protected]) Mr. A. K. Bist ([email protected]) Mr. S. Chandra ([email protected]) Mr. M.R. Pawar ([email protected]) Dr. S. T. Rajan ([email protected]) Mr. S. A. Patil ([email protected]) Dr. B. Bandyopadhyay ([email protected]) Dr. Ashvini Kumar ([email protected]) Dr. R.P. Goswami Shri M.K. Kannan ([email protected]) Shri Rajesh Laad ([email protected]) Mr. A. K. Mohindru ([email protected]) Dr. V. Jayan ([email protected]) Mr. B. Kamath ([email protected]) Mr. S. Shaswattam ([email protected])

RCM Section, Control & Instrumentation Div., Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400 094. BHEl Corp. R & D, Vikasnagar, Hyderabad 500 093.

Waghawadi Road, Bhavnagar 364 001 191-A, Phase I, MHADA Commercial Complex, Opp. Tridal Nagar, Yerawada, Pune 411006. Block No. 14, C.G.O. Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi 110 003

6.

MNRE

7.

NPCIL

Vikram Sarabhai Bhavan, Anushakti Nagar, Mumbai 400 094

8.

NTPC

A-8A, R & D Centre, NTPC, Sector 24, NOIDA 201 301 (U.P.)

9. 10.

TERI TIFAC

Mr. S.S. Garud ([email protected]) Prof. A. Patwardhan

India Habitat Centre, Lodi Road, New Delhi 110 003 Executive Director, TIFAC, DST, New Delhi 110 016.

Academic Institutes 1. 2. Birla College IIT Bombay Mr. Amit S. Yadav Mr. A.A. Abhyat Prof. U.N. Gaitonde Prof. S.L. Bapat Prof. S. Bandyopadhyay Prof. Rangan Banerjee Prof. S.B. kedare Prof. J.K. Nayak Prof. S. Suryanarayan Prof. S.P. Sukhatme Prof. M.V. Rane Prof. Anand Rao Prof. R. Shah Prof. R.W. Shende Prof. (Ms.) P Sharma Prof. C.S. Solanki Prof. A.W. Date Prof. Manoj Nirgat Prof. S. C. Mullick Dr. K. S. Reddy Dolly Ruwatia Kushal Ruwatia Birla College, Kalyan IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai - 400 076.

3. 4. 5. 6.

IIT Delhi IIT Madras Jai Hind College K.C. College

Centre for Energy Studies, IIT Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110 016. Heat Transfer and Thermal Power Lab., Dept. of Mech. Engg., IIT Madras, Chennai-600 036. Jai Hind College, Mumbai K.C. College, Mumbai

Appendix II Workshop on Solar Thermal Power Generation Schedule Date: April 28, 2008 Venue: Institute Auditorium, School of Management, IIT Bombay 0930 1000 1000 1020 1020 1030 1030 1145 Inauguration Overview and Objectives Tea - R. Banerjee, IIT Bombay

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Session I: Power Generation through Medium Temperature Route Chairperson: Prof. S. B. Kedare 1030 - 1040 System - J. K. Nayak, IIT Bombay 1040 1050 Simulation - S. Bandyopadhyay, IIT Bombay 1050 1100 Trough Technology - Ashvini Kumar, MNRE 1100 1135 Participants' Presentations Pradnya Consultants and Engineers Pvt. Ltd, Pune - D. Apte Gadhia Solar Energy Systems Pvt. Ltd, Valsad - D. Gadhia Clique Developments Pvt. Ltd, Mumbai - A. D. Paranjape Ultimate Technologies, Nashik - M. Vyawahare Adhunik Global Energy, Rajkot - V.K. Desai 1135 1150 Discussion _______________________________________________________________________ 1150 1300 Session II: Power Generation through Medium Temperature Route Chairperson: Prof. S.L. Bapat 1150 1200 Power Cycle - U. N. Gaitonde, IIT Bombay 1200 1210 Controls - S. Suryanarayan, IIT Bombay 1210 1230 Participants' Presentations BHEL, Hyderabad - S.K. Chandra NTPC, Noida - A.K. Mohindru Singlewatts Solar Energy, Pune - S. Mirchandani 1230 1300 Discussion ______________________________________________________________________ 1300 1400 Lunch ______________________________________________________________________ 1400 1500 Session III: Power Generation through Central Tower Route Chairperson: Prof. S. Bandyopadhyay 1400 1410 CRS based Power Plant - A Joshi, BARC 1410 1420 High Temperature Thermal Storage - B. Jaiswal, BARC 1420 1440 Participants' Presentations CSMCRI, Bhavnagar Brhama Kumaris, Mount Abu Square Engineering Pvt. Ltd, Pune Discussion

- S.T. Rajan - J. Golo Pilz - S. Mayabhate

1440 1500

________________________________________________________________________ 1500 1545 Session IV: Power Generation through Dish-Stirling Route Chairperson: Prof. U.N. Gaitonde 1500 1510 Dish Technology - S. B. Kedare, IIT Bombay 1510 1520 Stirling Engine - S. L. Bapat, IIT Bombay 1520 1535 Participants' Presentations IIT Madras - K.S. Reddy MAHLE, Gurgaon - P. Bhalekar 1535 1545 Discussion ________________________________________________________________________ 1545 1600 Tea ________________________________________________________________________ 1600 1730 Session V: Concluding Session Chairperson: Prof. Rangan Banerjee 1600 1620 Consortium Approach for Technology - A. Patwardhan, TIFAC Development 1620 1725 Discussion on Future Steps 1725 1730 Vote of Thanks -----------