'Jordan Perfect Location for Concentrated Solar Thermal Power'

By Taylor Luck, Jordan Times, Amman, 29/Sep/2009

Sep. 29--AMMAN -- With abundant sunlight and limited natural resources, the Kingdom is a perfect location for thinf film photovoltaic panesl (TFPV) technology, experts said on Monday.

The technology, which has yet to be applied in Jordan, will best utilise the country's immense amount of sunlight and address the increasing electricity demand, according to participants at a seminar organised by the German-Jordanian University and Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE).

An investment that pays back over time: there are multiple economic reasons to incorporate Thin-Film Photovoltaics into both commercial building projects as well as homes. Payback is possible in about 2 to 4 years.

Photovoltaic Windows for Buildings and Homes (BIPV) are designed to act as a window and to simultaneously generate electricity through solar power. BIPV (Building Integrated Photovoltaics) modules are integrated into the building façade, substituting standard glass with glass laminates that encapsulate photovoltaic cells.

Photovoltaic Cladding Panels for Buildings and Homes (BIPV): TFPV Photovoltaic Cladding Panels are placed on top of raw building materials (brick, concrete), on the building façade and on the roof. TFPV (Thin Film Photovoltaics) panels substitute cladding materials (ceramics, tiles, or marble, granite, glass or aluminium panels) with glass laminates that encapsulate photovoltaic cells.

CSP has several advantages over traditional photovoltaic (PV) units, which are often used in the Kingdom for water heaters and small-scale solar power initiatives, according to Werner Platzet, head of the research department at ISE, one of the largest solar energy research organisations in Europe.

Sun-rich countries having abundant direct radiation, such as the Kingdom, which is estimated at 5.5 kilowatt hours per square metre per day, offer freat possibilities.

CSP (Concentrated Solar thermal Power) technology is to be used in the planned 100MW solar power plant in Maan, will create a new employment sector for the country, Ahmad Muhaidat, head of the GJU energy engineering department, told The Jordan Times.

There is even greater potential for developing solar energy in Jordan than in Germany, whose renewable energy sector supplies a significant portion of its energy and thousands of jobs, as the Kingdom has three times as much sunlight, Platzet said. "PV has created thousands of jobs in Germany, and CSP can do the same in Jordan," he stressed.

Jordan can serve as a gateway to neighbouring countries, utilising its educated workforce in the technology's application across the region, according to Muhaidat.

Further investment in Jordan and across the region is needed, however, to spur research and development to enhance the technology and lower the costs of its application.

"We have the tools and the personnel to become leaders in PV technology; all they need is education," Muhaidat added. "The initial investment is high, but it is essentially free electricity for decades," Platzet said, noting that a 100 megawatt (MW) CSP plant at current prices could range from JD150-JD300 million. The plant, however, has a long life-cycle, as it is able to produce electricity for 50 years, with a service and upkeep cost of 1-2 per cent of the initial investment. "We don't know where the prices of oil will be in 25 years, but we know that the sun will always be free," he stressed.

Although current existing CSP plants, such as those in Spain, rely on large amounts of water for cooling, some CSP technology can use dry cooling methods, such as wind, in water-conscious countries like Jordan.

Under the country's national energy strategy, the Kingdom is looking to produce 600MW of wind and 300-600MW of solar energy by 2020.

Jordan imports around 96 per cent of its energy costing the country some 20 per cent of its gross domestic product .

However, some $1.4- 2.1 billion (2007 prices) in investments is required to meet the energy strategy's goals, according to the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources.

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