Energy

COGENERATION PLANTS

Cogeneration is the process by which electricity and useful thermal energy (steam, hot water) is simultaneously obtained. If further (ice, cold water, cold air, for example) occurs cold called trigeneration.

The advantage of cogeneration is the most energy efficient as both heat and mechanical or electrical energy of a single process, instead of using a conventional power and heat for the needs of a conventional boiler is used. Another advantage is that by producing electricity near the point of consumption, voltage changes and transportation are avoided long distance, representing a significant loss of energy by Joule effect (it is estimated that in large networks this loss is between 25 and 30%).

THERMAL PLANTS

A solar or solar thermal power plant is an industrial facility in which, from a fluid heating by solar radiation and its use in a conventional thermodynamic cycle, produces the necessary power to move an alternator for generating electricity as a classical thermoelectric plant.

It involves the use of solar thermal energy to transfer and store it in a heat transfer medium, usually water. This is one of the advantages of CSP technology, thermal storage. The most commonly used technology for storing this energy are molten salts (nitrates) thermal storage. The composition of these salts is variable, being the most used the mixture of potassium nitrate, sodium nitrate and lately has been incorporated calcium nitrate.

HYDRAULIC

In a hydroelectric hydropower it is used for power generation. They are the actual result of the evolution of the old mills that took advantage of the flow of rivers to move a wheel.

In general, these plants use the gravitational potential energy that the body of water has a natural channel under a gap, also known as geodesic jump. The water in its fall between two levels of the channel is passed through a water turbine which transmits energy to a generator where it is converted into electrical energy.

TIDAL POWE STATION

Tidal power is obtained with the tide: through its connection to an alternator system can be used for electricity generation, transforming wave energy into electrical energy.

It is a type of renewable energy, while the primary energy source is not exhausted by exploitation, and is clean and that no energy transformation gaseous pollutants solid products, liquid or occur. However, the relationship between the amount of energy that can be obtained with current media and economic and environmental cost of installing devices for processing have prevented a significant penetration of this type of energy.

Other ways to extract energy from the sea are the waves (wave energy) of the temperature difference between the surface and the deep ocean, the ocean thermal gradient; salinity, sea currents or offshore wind.