TY - JOUR A1 - Alexopoulos, Spiros T1 - Biogas systems: basics, biogas multifunction, principle of fermentation and hybrid application with a solar tower for the treatment of waste animal manure JF - Journal of Engineering Science and Technology Review N2 - Two of the main environmental problems of today’s society are the continuously increasing production of organic wastes as well as the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the related green house effect. A way to solve these problems is the production of biogas. Biogas is a combustible gas consisting of methane, carbon dioxide and small amounts of other gases and trace elements. Production of biogas through anaerobic digestion of animal manure and slurries as well as of a wide range of digestible organic wastes and agricultural residues, converts these substrates into electricity and heat and offers a natural fertiliser for agriculture. The microbiological process of decomposition of organic matter, in the absence of oxygen takes place in reactors, called digesters. Biogas can be used as a fuel in a gas turbine or burner and can be used in a hybrid solar tower system offering a solution for waste treatment of agricultural and animal residues. A solar tower system consists of a heliostat field, which concentrates direct solar irradiation on an open volumetric central receiver. The receiver heats up ambient air to temperatures of around 700°C. The hot air’s heat energy is transferred to a steam Rankine cycle in a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG). The steam drives a steam turbine, which in turn drives a generator for producing electricity. In order to increase the operational hours of a solar tower power plant, a heat storage system and/ or hybridization may be considered. The advantage of solar-fossil hybrid power plants, compared to solar-only systems, lies in low additional investment costs due to an adaptable solar share and reduced technical and economical risks. On sunny days the hybrid system operates in a solar-only mode with the central receiver and on cloudy days and at night with the gas turbine only. As an alternative to methane gas, environmentally neutral biogas can be used for operating the gas turbine. Hence, the hybrid system is operated to 100% from renewable energy sources Y1 - 2012 SN - 1791-2377 N1 - Special Issue on Renewable Energy Systems VL - 5 IS - 4 SP - 48 EP - 55 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Hoffschmidt, Bernhard A1 - Alexopoulos, Spiros A1 - Rau, Christoph A1 - Sattler, Johannes, Christoph A1 - Anthrakidis, Anette A1 - Teixeira Boura, Cristiano José A1 - O'Connor, P. A1 - Hilger, Patrick T1 - Concentrating solar power T2 - Comprehensive renewable energy / ed. Ali Sayigh. Vol. 3: Solar thermal systems: components and applications Y1 - 2012 SN - 978-0-08-087872-0 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-087872-0.00319-X VL - 3 SP - 595 EP - 636 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Hoffschmidt, Bernhard A1 - Alexopoulos, Spiros A1 - Göttsche, Joachim A1 - Sauerborn, Markus T1 - High concentration solar collectors T2 - Comprehensive renewable energy / ed. Ali Sayigh. Vol. 3: Solar thermal systems: components and applications N2 - Solar thermal concentrated power is an emerging technology that provides clean electricity for the growing energy market. To the solar thermal concentrated power plant systems belong the parabolic trough, the Fresnel collector, the solar dish, and the central receiver system. For high-concentration solar collector systems, optical and thermal analysis is essential. There exist a number of measurement techniques and systems for the optical and thermal characterization of the efficiency of solar thermal concentrated systems. For each system, structure, components, and specific characteristics types are described. The chapter presents additionally an outline for the calculation of system performance and operation and maintenance topics. One main focus is set to the models of components and their construction details as well as different types on the market. In the later part of this chapter, different criteria for the choice of technology are analyzed in detail. KW - Central receiver system KW - Concentrated solar collector KW - Fresnel collector KW - Optical and thermal analysis KW - Solar concentration Y1 - 2012 SN - 978-0-08-087873-7 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-087872-0.00306-1 VL - 3 SP - 165 EP - 209 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Fricke, Barbara A1 - Ziolko, C. A1 - Anthrakidis, Anette A1 - Alexopoulos, Spiros A1 - Hoffschmidt, Bernhard A1 - Giese, F. A1 - Dillig, M. T1 - InnoSol - environmental aspects of the open volumetric receiver technology T2 - 30th ISES Biennial Solar World Congress 2011 : : Kassel, Germany, 28 August - 2 September 2011. Vol. 5 Y1 - 2012 SP - 3895 EP - 3900 PB - Curran CY - Red Hook, NY ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Alexopoulos, Spiros A1 - Rau, Christoph A1 - Hoffschmidt, Bernhard A1 - Breitbach, Gerd A1 - Latzke, Markus T1 - Modelling and validation of a transient heat recovery steam generator of the solar tower power plant Juelich T2 - Eurosun 2012 : Solar energy for a brighter future : conference proceedings : Rijeka, 18.-22.09.2012 Y1 - 2012 SP - ID 97 CY - Rijeka ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Hoffschmidt, Bernhard A1 - Alexopoulos, Spiros T1 - Perspektiven für Solarthermische Kraftwerke im Sonnengürtel T2 - Energiewende : Aspekte, Optionen, Herausforderungen : Vorträge auf der DPG-Frühjahrstagung Arbeitskreis Energie in der Deutschen Physikalischen Gesellschaft Berlin, 26. bis 28. März 2012 / hrsg. von Hardo Bruhns Y1 - 2012 SP - 81 EP - 93 PB - DPG CY - Baf Honnef ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Alexopoulos, Spiros A1 - Kluczka, Sven A1 - Vaeßen, Christiane A1 - Roeb, M. A1 - Neises, M. T1 - Scenario development for efficient methanol production using CO2 and solar energy T2 - Eurosun 2012 : Solar energy for a brighter future : conference proceedings : Rijeka, 18.-22.09.2012 Y1 - 2012 SP - ID 99 CY - Rijeka ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Alexopoulos, Spiros A1 - Hoffschmidt, Bernhard A1 - Rau, Christoph A1 - Sattler, Johannes, Christoph T1 - Simulation of hybrid solar tower power plants T2 - 30th ISES Biennial Solar World Congress 2011 : Kassel, Germany, 28 August - 2 September 2011. Vol. 5 Y1 - 2012 SP - 4044 EP - 4050 PB - Curran CY - Red Hook, NY ER -