The world’s first hybrid solar thermal power station was launched at Kibbutz Samar in southern Israel last Wednesday (June 24), the Xinhua News Agency reported. Developed by leading Israeli solar company AORA, the station called “Power Flower” will be the first to feature concentrating solar power (CSP) that can provide power 24 hours a day.

The yellow tulip-shaped station is made up of a field of 30 tracking mirrors (heliostats) on half an acre of land. The heliostats track the sun then reflect the rays towards the top of a 30-meter high tower. The tower is equipped with a special solar receiver and a 100-kilowatt gas turbine. The receiver uses solar energy to heat air up to 1,000 degrees Celsius. The energy is then directed into the turbine which converts the said thermal energy into electric power. The power is finally fed into the national grid.

The station can also run on alternative fuel such as biogas, biodiesel, and natural gas, making it capable of producing electricity even when sunlight is insufficient, as in night time or when it is cloudy.

AORA, based in the town of Yavne, Israel, is the developer of advanced solar-hybrid power generation units (IP Protected) through a partnership with the Weizzman Institute of Science, an international center for research and graduate studies.


-  Jen Balboa

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Sources:

¹ http://aora-solar.com/len/apage/39940.php
² http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-06/25/content_11596760.htm