Tampa, Florida – Gulf Coast Green Energy (GCGE) has just installed a Green Machine in Florida that will generate green energy from solar with a WHP generator. GCGE was is the first to generate electricity from a solar thermal field using a Waste Heat to Power (WHP) generator, The Green Machine, on the Island of Cyprus on the campus of Middle Eastern Technical University. Then in 2013 GCGE successfully installed and commissioned a Green Machine at the University of Louisiana Lafayette. The most recent installation was at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida. The site will utilizes thermal energy collected from five rows of Solar Collector Assemblies (SCAs) to heat water, which is fed directly into the Green Machine. Funding for the project was provided by the University of South Florida Foundation.
The Green Machine generates power which will be delivered to the University’s main bus by harnessing hot water in the solar collection troughs. Water heated in the solar array is pumped to the Green Machine to heat a working fluid that, under pressure, rotates the Green Machines twin screw expander to generate electricity. The working fluid is then condensed by a water cooling tower to begin the process again in a closed loop cycle. The Green Machine generates 35-65 kWe depending on local weather conditions.
Currently, the Green Machine is operational and awaiting retrofits to the array. The primary purpose of the project is to provide thermodynamic and mechanical engineering research, according to Dr. Yogi Goswami, Distinguished Professor of Energy Conservation, Hydrogen Energy and Fuel Cells, Thermodynamics and Director of USF’s Clean Energy Research Center (CERC) and Heat Transfer. The project will be operational during research activities, however, USF looks to operate the Green Machine more consistently while investigating methods to increase efficiency and optimize the project.
Gulf Coast Green Energy is a leader in small-scale, distributed power generation from waste heat and is a Distributor for the ElectraTherm Green Machine, please visit us at www.gulfcoastgreenenergy.com
