Electricity + Control November 2016

CONTROL SYSTEMS + AUTOMATION

ROUND UP

Driving the future of CSP with advanced steam turbines

Having set the African record of 161 hours for continuous operation at a load factor of 76% before an inclement weather interrup- tion during its first month of operation, the Bokpoort concentrated solar plant (CSP) in the Northern Cape is a shining example of the immense potential of CSP technology as a renewable energy source. Powered by a Siemens SST-700 two- casing steam turbine generator set, the

multi-billion rand Bokpoort plant also boasts 9,3 hours of storage, thanks to molten salt storage facilities that act as a massive rechargeable battery. Bokpoort is among the most efficient solar plants in the world operating in this class of capacity and technology. It has a total power generating capacity of 50 MW net power output, and is equipped with the largest thermal storage size ever

adopted for a parabolic trough plant. It is expected to yield more than 230 GWh/year to support the national power grid. An estimated 89 000TW of solar energy reaches the Earth's surface annually – over 5 000 times more than the average yearly power consumed by humans. With most parts of South Africa averaging more than 2 500 hours of sunshine per year, solar technology is a very viable form of clean renewable energy.

South Africa has emerged as a renewable energy leader and billions of rand is being invested in CSP. The Solar En- ergyTechnology Roadmap (SE- TRM) – a joint initiative of the Department of Energy and the Department of Science and Technology – estimates that 30 GWof CSP can be developed locally by 2050. Enquiries: Keshin Govender. Phone: +27 11 652 2000 or email keshin.govender@siemens.com or visit www.twitter.com/ siemens_press

Block I/O module RETAutomation Controls offers a communicationmodule with serial interfaces for its ultra compact TBEN-S Ethernet block I/O series:TheTBEN-S2-2COM module comes with two serial ports, which can be individually configured as RS232 or RS485 interfaces as required.Two additional slots offer four universal

digital inputs or outputs. A Modbus RTU master is also integrated for the RS485 interface, which can connect up to eight Modbus devices.The new TBEN-S2-2COM modules also sup- port Turck's multiprotocol technology and can therefore be run in Profinet, Ethernet/IP or Modbus TCP networks

without any intervention required by the user.The slim 32 mm 2COMmodules particularly simplify applications requiring the connection of digital signals in restricted spaces next to devices with serial interfaces.Thanks to its IP67 protection, themodules can be mounted directly in the machine and thus reduce the wiring effort required. All parameters of the serial interfaces, such as start-stop bits, parity or baud rate are set simply via GSDML or a parameter software such as Pactware.The power supply of the serial field devices can be set between 5 and 24V. Other technology modules for SSI and other interfaces will follow as part of the expansion of theTBEN-S series. Enquiries: BrandonTopham. Email brandon.topham@retautomation.com