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  (Source: Clean Technica)

  (Source: China Digital Times)
Will cut the use of coal and carbon emissions

Biomass refinery developer Inbicon is taking baby steps in reducing carbon emissions by utilizing coal steam for cellulosic ethanol. China Energy Conservation and Environmental Group (CECEP), on the other hand, is pummeling coal consumption and carbon emissions with the largest stand-alone building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) project, which started transmitting power to the to the electric grid on Sunday in Shanghai. 

The new 6.68 megawatt solar station, which cost $23.6 million to build and has the ability to power 12,000 Shanghai homes with 6.3 million kilowatt-hours (kwh) of electricity per year, was built over the recently completed Hongqiao Station, which lies over the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway line. According to the latest reports, this new solar system can decrease coal consumption by 2,254 tons and also cut carbon emissions by 6,600 tons. 

"The project is another manifestation of China's commitment to reducing carbon emissions to fight climate change," said Yu Hailong, general manager of the project's developer, CECEP. "It comes after the country set a voluntary target of cutting carbon intensity per unit of GDP by 40 to 45 percent by 2020."

This solar station is covered with 20,000 solar panels over the 61,000 sq m roof and has produced 300,000 kwh of power since the operation started two weeks ago. It is meant to spread solar energy awareness as well as the development of environmentally-friendly railways throughout China.

"BIPV technology does not take up extra space, because it is integrated into buildings' design and construction," said Zheng Jian, chief engineer of the Ministry of Railway. "It is especially suitable for China's eastern areas, where there are limited land resources yet greater energy demand."

The solar station built over the high-speed railway in Shanghai is the largest in the world, but not the only project like it in China. The Wuhan Station, a part of the Wuhan-Guangzhou High-Speed Railway, received a similar integrated photovoltaic solar-powered system that was connected to the grid back in May of this year. The difference is that this solar station is about three times smaller than Shanghai's. But this goes to show that China is achieving their goal of spreading the idea of solar-powered stations and implementing them in certain areas to reduce carbon emissions and use of coal. 

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How many homes?
By Jaybus on 7/22/2010 8:35:58 AM , Rating: 2
6.3 million kwh per year is 6300 thousand kwh per year. Each of the 12,000 homes then gets 0.525 kwh per year! I find that very difficult to believe. If a 6.68 million kw station operated at 100% capacity all year, then it would produce 58.5 million kwh in a year. I realize solar cannot hope for more than 50% production, but that is only 10.7%. Surely that area of the world receives more sunlight than that.

If true, then at 0.525 kwh per year per house, a 1 GW nuclear generator could supply a minimum of a billion homes. Impossible.




RE: How many homes?
By rikulus on 7/22/2010 8:56:17 AM , Rating: 4
I don't think I follow your first two sentences there... 6.3 million is 6300 thousand... ok, it's also 6,300,000 kwh. 6,300,000 kwh/12,000 homes = 525 kwh/home. I think you were tricking yourself out of a factor of 1000 there. If you want to call it 6300 thousand kwh, then you need to call it 12 thousand homes.

I think it would be interesting to know if 525 kwh is the average yearly use in Shanghai. I know I average about that much per month, and know people that use a LOT more than I do.


RE: How many homes?
By Spuke on 7/22/2010 12:21:02 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
I know I average about that much per month, and know people that use a LOT more than I do.
The average in the US is 1kWh per month per household. I only come close to that figure in July or August when I have to run the A/C 24/7. It's lower (700 kWh range) if can only use the swamp cooler (evaporative cooler). During the winter and early spring, I'm in the 500 range.


RE: How many homes?
By MrPickins on 7/22/2010 1:03:48 PM , Rating: 2
I assume you meant 1MWh per month as an average:

http://www.eia.doe.gov/ask/electricity_faqs.asp#el...
quote:
In 2008, the average annual electricity consumption for a U.S. residential utility customer was 11,040 kWh, an average of 920 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per month


RE: How many homes?
By Spuke on 7/22/2010 1:43:44 PM , Rating: 2
You just quoted the exact figure of 920kWh per month. It's not a 1MWh. Good Lord, we don't use THAT much electricity.


RE: How many homes?
By MrPickins on 7/22/2010 7:16:08 PM , Rating: 2
You should brush up on unit conversion.

920kWh = .92MWh

(Close enough to 1MWh for this discussion)

Also, I was responding directly to your statement:
quote:
The average in the US is 1kWh per month per household


You're off by almost 3 degrees of magnitude...


RE: How many homes?
By MrPickins on 7/22/2010 7:19:14 PM , Rating: 2
Scratch "degrees", I meant "orders".

Chalk it up to a brain-fart.


RE: How many homes?
By namechamps on 7/22/2010 11:36:52 PM , Rating: 2
Metric fail.


RE: How many homes?
By EJ257 on 7/22/2010 9:26:27 AM , Rating: 2
It makes sense if you factor in the fact that solar panels are no where near 100% efficient even when the sun is beating down on it from directly overhead. IIRC the max efficiency for solar panels are currently in the high 30%...add to the fact that you only get useful sunlight for maybe 10 hours per day. Factor in the city's current level of pollution too because all that smog will have an attenuation effect on sunlight.


RE: How many homes?
By Spuke on 7/22/2010 12:35:35 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
IIRC the max efficiency for solar panels are currently in the high 30%
The kind that you and I can buy is lower than that.

quote:
add to the fact that you only get useful sunlight for maybe 10 hours per day
Solar panels are rated for 5 hours of 1000W/m2 of sunlight. Those are lab conditions and are RARELY met in the real world. And I can guarantee you'll never see sunlight like that in anywhere that has any kind of constant shade or at higher latitudes. Most solar manufacturers publish a more realistic rating of 800W/m2 but that still depends on a clear sky.

For reference, you can get 800W/m2 on a clear June day in the UK.


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