Geothermal turbine to find use in solar installation

In Hawaii, Pacific Light & Power is set build a 10 MW solar thermal plant that will use a turbine traditionally used in geothermal systems. The heat requirements and the size of typical solar thermal fields mean that they can only be built economically in places where the sun shines nearly every day, there is plenty of empty land, and humidity stays low. To build a 10 MW system and make it economically viable, more efficient turbines are needed. Most turbines used in solar thermal installations turn heated water into steam, whereas those used in GT installations typically are used with organic fluids, which turn to vapor at lower temperatures. Jesse Tippett, the managing director of Spain’s Albiasa, which will build the collector, said that the underlying technology may not be as efficient but it can generate energy in a wider variety of circumstances.