CO2 Sequestration through Deep Saline Injection and ...

sun and have the characteristic wavelengths less than 300 nm. Visible light spectra account for
45 percent of the energy coming from the solar spectra and have the characteristic wavelengths
from 300 to 700 nm. Infrared radiation is the heat component of the solar spectrum and accounts
for 54 percent of the energy, with the characteristic wavelengths from 700 to 11,000 nm [39].
3.3.2. Solar Irradiance
The design of a solar collection and transmission system requires an estimation of how much
energy is delivered by the sun to the location at which the system will be located. The rate at
which solar energy reaches a unit area at the earth is called the solar irradiance and is typically
measured in watts per square meter (W/m 2 ). This solar irradiance is not constant throughout the
day. To design a solar collection system a designer must know the average solar energy density.
The typical units of measure are watt-hours per square meter (Wh/m 2 ). The power released from
the sun reaches the outer layer of the earth’s atmosphere at 1367 W/m 2 (known as the
extraterrestrial solar constant (SC)) where it then undergoes additional losses due to atmospheric
particles such as water molecules, ozone, and dust. The actual amount of solar power received at
the earth’s surface can vary greatly depending on the amount of matter encountered in the
atmosphere, and can range from 90 percent, of the SC on a very clear day to around 30 percent
on a very cloudy day [33]. Since the actual solar irradiation can vary so much over the course of
the year it is best to view the solar irradiation as an average over the course of the year. Figure
13 provides an average daily solar irradiation for the entire United States that can be used to
estimate the solar irradiance at a particular location in the United States.
The location of the PBR is intended to be in the southwest United States and will have an
average solar irradiance of 7.0 – 8.0 kWh/m 2 /day. If the system were to be located in Alberta,
Canada for example, then the average solar-irradiance would decrease to 3.0 – 4.0 kWh/m 2 /day
[40]. In the later case, implementation of a solar collecting system does not make sense and was
not considered. To design the solar collecting system for the PBR an average value of 8.0
kWh/m 2 /day was assumed in the calculations of required collector surface area, see Appendix C
for detailed procedure of calculating collector surface area.
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