Heliostat concentration boosted by shape-shifting glass

By manipulating the shape of heliostats in real time, the optical efficiency of solar fields for tower CSP can be significantly increased, according to a paper presented at the New Mexico SolarPACES Conference: Heliostat with Automatic Shape Adjustment for High Concentration Throughout the Day, presented Read More …

Cosin wins bid for new 200 MW Chinese CSP storage/solar field

Press Release: Cosin wins 200 MW bid for solar field and MSR system On September 7, we received the “Notification of Award” from CGN China Nuclear Power Engineering Co., Ltd., confirming that Cosin Solar has won the contract for Solar Field and MSR Systems equipment Read More …

Published at Applied Energy – Co-optimisation of the heliostat field and receiver for concentrated solar power plants

Abstract: In a concentrated solar power (CSP) tower plant, it is essential to understand the performance of the subsystem formed by the heliostat field and the receiver, operated with an optimal aiming strategy that guarantees the safety and lifetime of the receiver while maximising performance. Read More …

Published at Energy – Concentrating efficiency loss of heliostat with multiple sub-mirrors under wind loads

Abstract: As an important design load for heliostat, wind load crucially affects the safety and concentrating performance. Herein, an evaluation method is proposed to study the impacts of wind loads on concentrating efficiency loss of the heliostat with multiple sub-mirrors. In particular, the computation method Read More …

Published at Solar Energy – Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in the planning, operation and maintenance of concentrating solar thermal systems: A review

Abstract: The technological advancements achieved in the field of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have positioned this technology as a key enabling technology for revolutionizing the entire energy industry by facilitating diverse operations and tasks that would otherwise be either impossible to carry out, costly, labour Read More …

Published at Solar Energy – Simplified analytical model to describe wind loads and wind-induced tracking deviations of heliostats

Abstract: Wind-induced tracking deviations of heliostats can be analyzed through numerical simulations or experimental studies on a full-scale heliostat. However, these methods are relatively costly and often, simpler estimations are necessary and sufficient. One simpler approach is to use an analytical model that describes the wind-induced tracking Read More …

DOE announces 7 awards to cut heliostat costs

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Sandia National Laboratories, co-leads of the Heliostat Consortium, announced seven awardees from a request for proposals (RFP) aimed at achieving DOE’s goals for heliostat cost reduction, sustained multifaceted innovation, and improved solar field performance. Heliostats Read More …

BA student devises algorithm to optimize Tower CSP preheating strategy

Much of the research covered at SolarPACES in concentrated solar power (CSP) is advanced by international post-docs and professors, but as the need for climate solutions advances, it is drawing the attention of younger researchers with STEM backgrounds in mathematics, physics and chemistry. During her Read More …

NREL Starts SETO-Funded Study of Wind Impacts on Solar Collectors

High wind loads increase structural design costs of concentrating solar power (CSP) collector structures, such as heliostats and parabolic troughs. In a new two-year project, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will work with the Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Solar Read More …

How CSP Works: Tower, Trough, Fresnel or Dish

In solar thermal energy, all concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies use solar thermal energy from sunlight to make power. A solar field of mirrors concentrates the sun’s energy onto a receiver that traps the heat and stores it in thermal energy storage till needed to Read More …

Reflectance Measurement Guidelines

Reflectance Measurement Guidelines

A group of experts in the field of optical mirror reflectance characterization has been working together as members of Task III to create a document of an official SolarPACES reflectance measurement guideline. Title of guidelines “PARAMETERS AND METHOD TO EVALUATE THE REFLECTANCE PROPERTIES OF REFLECTOR Read More …

Standardizing and Benchmarking of Model-Derived DNI-Products

Standardizing and Benchmarking of Model-Derived DNI-Products

Full paper (pdf): Standardizing and Benchmarking of Model-Derived DNI-Products – Phase 1 Authors: Richard Meyer, Chris Gueymard, Pierre Ineichen Summary: Modeled direct normal irradiance (DNI) can be either derived from satellite data or from numerical weather models. Such modeled datasets are available at continental scale and provide Read More …