Large scale Solar PV in the vicinity of hot springs

[Esi]

Hello everyone,
I was asked whether it is recommended/feasible to build a PV farm (in the range of 2 MWp) in the vicinity of a hot spring. I was told that there is presence of sulfuric acid in the air; (not sure about concentration but it should not be high; there is also a fully functioning hydro power station in the same area).

As far as my research went, sulfuric acid does not react with copper, but it does react with aluminum, so I am assuming dual glass solar panels are mandatory as well as a stainless steel mounting system? What about the coating the panel? Does sulfuric acid react and damages the coating of the solar panels? Does the panel need some other type of

[J.P.M.]

If this is a for commercial enterprise, find a metallurgist, or better yet a corrosion engineer, sample the air and soil at the proposed site and proceed from there. Get the facts. "I was told" means little. Free, unvetted and unattributable advice from a forum is not reliable for such purposes.

FWIW, what you were told sounds less than informed with respect to PV materials and availability.

For one thing, there may be other stuff in the area besides H2SO4. See what geothermal power plants use for perhaps some further guidance.

[Sunking]

This requires a Professional Engineer, I will help you if you send me a $10,000 good will check to get started. You will need a good lawyer on top of that to fight the Green Mafia. But here is some free professional advice. You said:

As far as my research went, sulfuric acid does not react with copper

Is absolutely true as long as there is no oxygen in any form hanging around. That is why battery wires turn green, corrode, and disintegrate.

[J.P.M.]

Is absolutely true as long as there is no oxygen in any form hanging around. That is why battery wires turn green, corrode, and disintegrate.

That mean ol' nasty O2 will get you every time.

[SunEagle]

With a hot springs in the local I would imagine a Geo thermal power plant may have some benefit and work 24/7 compared to solar pv system.

[J.P.M.]

With a hot springs in the local I would imagine a Geo thermal power plant may have some benefit and work 24/7 compared to solar pv system.

Maybe, but the geothermal plant probably costs more to construct and operate. There's usually a lot more EPA and OSHA permitting and considerations than for a lot of PV plants as well.

[SunEagle]

Maybe, but the geothermal plant probably costs more to construct and operate. There's usually a lot more EPA and OSHA permitting and considerations than for a lot of PV plants as well.

I agree it would cost more but based on Geo-thermal it should provide power 24/7 which is certainly a lot better then solar especially if the panels are exposed to high SO in the air.

I am just saying GT may be another option to think about to get a 2MW power generating plant built.

[Sunking]

That mean ol' nasty O2 will get you every time.

Yep O2 and H2O are the two most destructive elements known to man.

[Sunking]

Geothermal plants also fail taking to much heat from the earth.

[J.P.M.]

I agree it would cost more but based on Geo-thermal it should provide power 24/7 which is certainly a lot better then solar especially if the panels are exposed to high SO in the air.

I am just saying GT may be another option to think about to get a 2MW power generating plant built.

One or the other (or both, co-sited), or neither may be both cost effective and practical. People with brains use the gifts of science and common sense to investigate ways to see if and how it can be, and then, the tougher task of if it ought to be achieved. The first is usually easier than the second.

[SunEagle]

Geothermal plants also fail taking to much heat from the earth.

I agree that a GT plant requires a lot of maintenance to keep it working. But if you look at the number and size of the ones in Iceland they look very impressive as their number one electrical power source.

[Sunking]

I agree that a GT plant requires a lot of maintenance to keep it working. But if you look at the number and size of the ones in Iceland they look very impressive as their number one electrical power source.

Yes I know. But look at some failed plants in CA. They sucked up so much heat, they cooled the source of heat down to unusable. Imagine Yellow Stone park and no more geysers? Not saying that can happen, but there are limits as to how much heat you can pull from the source. Iceland is uniquire. You cannot run the USA off geothermal anymore than you can solar. The areas where it can be done are tro limited and far apart.

[J.P.M.]

Yes I know. But look at some failed plants in CA. They sucked up so much heat, they cooled the source of heat down to unusable. Imagine Yellow Stone park and no more geysers? Not saying that can happen, but there are limits as to how much heat you can pull from the source. Iceland is uniquire. You cannot run the USA off geothermal anymore than you can solar. The areas where it can be done are tro limited and far apart.

Kind of straight forward: Put a control surface around the plant and take out no more energy than crosses the surface and accept the idea that generation is dependent on a non guaranteed source. Many years ago I designed some rather large HX's for the GT plants in the Imperial Valley in CA. Would have been an interesting project in many respects, not the least of which was how to design for what could be resource availability that might vary over as long as annual cycles and try to get the economics right. We lost the bid, but I learned a lot.

[SunEagle]

Yes I know. But look at some failed plants in CA. They sucked up so much heat, they cooled the source of heat down to unusable. Imagine Yellow Stone park and no more geysers? Not saying that can happen, but there are limits as to how much heat you can pull from the source. Iceland is uniquire. You cannot run the USA off geothermal anymore than you can solar. The areas where it can be done are tro limited and far apart.

Yes there have been a number of GT plants that have failed or have caused the heat source to change. I was just trying to offer another option to the OP since they were thinking about a 2MW solar plant in an area that also had hot springs. Heck if they had a water fall or river in the area I would suggest hydro power of some kind.

I just want people to think out of the box when it comes to an RE power source. Don't paint yourself into a corner depending on a single solution. Especially if the electrical need is a 24/7 requirement.