Dr Bignan Kagomna Bouwerou last Friday invited the Burkinabe government and that of the Confederation of Sahel States (AES) to move towards the construction of cylindrical concentrator solar power plants. parabolic to meet the needs for reliable, accessible and environmentally friendly energy.
‘Burkina Faso has significant solar potential with an annual sunshine of 3000 hours,’ declared Dr Bignan Kagomna Bouwerou.
Dr Bouwerou spoke Friday in Ouagadougou on the sidelines of the doctors’ promotion trip organized by the Joseph Ki-Zerbo University.
For the case of a study to build a solar power plant with a 50 MW parabolic cylindrical collector on the Dori site in the Sahel region, the specialist points out that on a solar field of 2016 concentrators extending over a surface area of ??110 ha and an average direct radiation of 7 kWh/d/m², the annual energy production of the plant is estimated at 619.99 GWh with a production cost of 33.53 CFA francs per kWh on the Dori site. Construction of the solar power plant
is estimated to take 2 years maximum.
It is therefore important to exploit this free and non-polluting deposit in the field of electricity production, particularly in isolated rural areas, he suggests.
In the opinion of Dr Bouwerou, this type of plant offers a double advantage: ‘Not only to produce heat that can be used to power maternity hospitals and the rest for the production of electricity’.
The stored heat can be used 4 to 6 hours after sunset, he says, adding that ‘this is what is very important in this type of plant’.
According to him, these plants are used in several African countries, notably in Morocco, which exports the surplus of its energy production to Spain, as well as in Latin America and in certain US states such as California.
For him, this type of plant is a boon for Burkina Faso, plagued by an energy deficit, and the Sahel states.
In his opinion, these technologies are based on collectors which concentrate solar radiation and heat a heat transfer fluid to a high temperature. This fl
uid can then be used for electricity generation.
The physicist notes that the country has already made progress in the construction of photovoltaic solar power plants in recent years with the construction of Zagtouli, Ziga and Nagréongo.
However, he regrets that the country has not moved towards parabolic trough collector plants, which are favorable and profitable in more than one way for the country.
Also, the physicist invites the States of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), which have abundant sunshine, and also investors to turn to solar power plants with parabolic trough collectors.
For him, this plant can be developed alongside other technologies, notably photovoltaic plants and nuclear energy.
Dr Bignan Kagomna Bouwerou defended her doctoral thesis in physics in May 2023, specialty Solar Technologies/Energy under the supervision of Dr Issaka Ouédraogo, at Joseph Ki-Zerbo University, on the ‘modeling of a concentrated solar power plant: case of the parabolic cylindrical’.
He conducted his researc
h at Joseph Ki-Zerbo University in the thermal and renewable energy laboratory (LETRE), directed by full professor Kam Sié.
Dr Bouwerou says he is available to decision-makers and all structures wishing to invest in the field of research or the production of technologies linked to solar energy and many others.
Source: Burkina Information Agency