In this tour of the Kimberlina Solar Plant I explain the design and operation of SSG4 (Solar Steam Generator #4), which was a First-of-a-Kind solar steam generator. High pressure superheated steam for power generation is generated directly from the reflected sunlight, something that industry experts had previously thought impossible by a CLFR (Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector) system, and had abandoned as hopelessly difficult in the parabolic trough arrangement.
The entire SSG4 project was a tour de force that is seldom seen. It was also a fast track project, conceived during negotations with AREVA in December 2009, mechanically complete by September, and fully tested and validated by the end of October 2010.
As Senior Vice President Engineering and Chief Engineer, I was very fortunate to have a fantastic team in engineering, construction and operations that showed professionalism, commitment, and teamwork that delivered a system that met or exceeded all requirements for:
- Levelized Cost of Energy
- Bill of Materials Cost
- Construction Cost and Schedule
- Thermal and Operational Performance
- Reliability
Take a look.