astronomy

Khi Solar One

Khi Solar One is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Khi Solar One rather than just read about it. In short: Khi Solar One (KSO) is a solar power tower solar thermal power plant, located in the Northern Cape Region of South Africa. Khi Solar One is 50 megawatts (MW), and is the first solar tower plant in Africa.

Key takeaways

Khi Solar One belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Khi Solar One to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Khi Solar One from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Khi Solar One (KSO) is a solar power tower solar thermal power plant, located in the Northern Cape Region of South Africa. Khi Solar One is 50 megawatts (MW), and is the first solar tower plant in Africa. It covers an area of 140 hectares (346 acres). Abengoa claims that Khi Solar One is the first thermal solar tower plant in Africa and the first to achieve 24 hours of operation using only solar energy. This is made possible by reduced electricity demand at night, as the plant's storage system can provide full output for only two hours. The KSO is an evolution of the PS10 and PS20 projects, operating since 2007 and 2009 respectively in Spain. KSO solar field is made of more than 4,000 heliostats, totaling up to 576,800 m2 (6,209,000 ft2) of mirror surface, focusing solar energy on a boiler located on top a centralized 205-metre-high (673 ft) tower. KSO uses a superheated steam cycle that should be able to reach a maximum operating temperature of 530 °C. Accumulated saturated steam is also used to provide up to two hours of thermal storage at the plant. KSO condenser is cooled with a dry cooling system, a natural draft condenser that uses towers to distribute air across fin blades in order to dissipate heat. The project has been developed by the Spanish company Abengoa, and the project was financed with help from Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and community group, Khi Community Trust.

Accident In November 2014, a crane collapse on site during construction killed two and injured seven. The accident was largely responsible for the project commencing commercial operation fourteen months later than scheduled.

Gallery

Abengoa Bankruptcy In November 2015, Abengoa started insolvency proceedings. Khi Solar One is one of the assets which Abengoa could be looking to sell. On 27 December 2016, Abengoa received a “Provisional Acceptance Certificate”, officially handing the plant to its owner Khi Solar One Pty Ltd. Abengoa has a 51% stake, Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) has a 29% stake and Khi Community Trust has a 20% stake in that society. Abengoa will take on the operation and maintenance of the plant. The plant output is sold to grid operator Eskom under a 20-year PPA (Power Purchase Agreement). Khi Solar One demonstrated in early 2016, up to 24 consecutive hours of operation.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Khi Solar One

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Khi Solar One claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Khi Solar One before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Khi Solar One ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Khi Solar One

In research: Khi Solar One appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Khi Solar One in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Khi Solar One is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Dawid Kruiper Local Municipality, Economy of the Northern Cape, Solar power stations in South Africa, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Khi Solar One outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Khi Solar One in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Khi Solar One means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Khi Solar One out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Khi Solar One in simple terms?

Why does Khi Solar One matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Khi Solar One?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Khi Solar One.