Binary Power Generation Driven by Wind, Solar Thermal, Biomass to be Demonstrated in Japan

Keywords:　Environmental Technology　Manufacturing industry　Renewable Energy　University / Research institute　

Toshiba Corp., Kobe Steel, Ltd., and Keio University announced on September 11, 2012, the launch of a joint project to develop technologies for binary power generation driven by wind, solar thermal, and biomass in combination. The project is among others selected in fiscal 2012 to receive financial support from the Japanese Ministry of the Environment for developing and testing climate mitigation technologies.

The project's objective is to develop a system capable of supplying electricity and hot water in a stable manner regardless of any changes in weather or other natural conditions. The system will use renewable energies such as wind, solar thermal, and biomass as energy sources to propel a binary vapor cycle, which uses a fluid with a relatively high boiling point to heat and vaporize a second ("binary") fluid with a lower boiling point to generate steam, drive a turbine, and produce electricity.

Installation of the equipment will start in spring of 2013 in Minami Awaji City, Hyogo Prefecture, with demonstration testing to run through the end of March 2015. Toshiba will take responsibility for coordinating the entire development project, as well as for developing a solar heat collector and system control technologies for controlling the entire power generating system. Kobe Steel will be in charge of developing the binary power generation system using solar heat and woody biomass as heat sources, and Keio University and Toshiba will develop a control technology for smoothing out fluctuations in wind power output.