Cost Estimates of Electricity from a TPV Residential Heating System.

Autor: Palfinger, Günther, Bitnar, Bernd, Durisch, Wilhelm, Mayor, Jean-Claude, Grützmacher, Detlev, Gobrecht, Jens
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Zdroj: AIP Conference Proceedings; 2003, Vol. 653 Issue 1, p29, 9p
Abstrakt: A thermophotovoltaic (TPV) system was built using a 12 to 20 kW[sub th] methane burner which should be integrated into a conventional residential heating system. The TPV system is cylindrical in shape and consists of a selective Yb[sub 2]O[sub 3] emitter, a quartz glass tube to prevent the exhaust gases from heating the cells and a 0.2 m² monocrystalline silicon solar cell module which is water cooled. The maximum system efficiency of 1.0 % was obtained at a thermal input power of 12 kW[sub th]. The electrical power suffices to run a residential heating system in the full power range (12 to 20 kW[sub th]) independently of the grid. The end user costs of the TPV components — emitter, glass tube, photocells and cell cooling circuit — were estimated considering 4 different TPV scenarios. The existing technique was compared with an improved system currently under development, which consists of a flexible photocell module that can be glued into the boiler housing and with systems with improved system efficiency (1.5 to 5 %) and geometry. Prices of the electricity from 2.5 to 22 EURcents/kWh[sub el] (excl. gas of about 3.5 EURcents/kWh), which corresponds to system costs of 340 to 3000 EUR/kW[sub el,peak], were calculated. The price of electricity by TPV was compared with that of fuel cells and gas engines. While fuel cells are still expensive, gas engines have the disadvantage of maintenance, noise and bulkiness. TPV, in contrast, is a cost efficient alternative to produce heat and electricity, particularly in small peripheral units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Databáze: Complementary Index