Solar Thermal Islands Could Improve Efficiency of Concentrated Solar Power
I ran across this article at The Oil Drum and thought it was too tasty to pass up. It describes a new design to help concentrated solar power (CSP) increase efficiency and reduce cost.
Here’s the problem: solar thermal collectors focus the sun’s heat onto a clear tube of fluid (see: Intro to Solar Thermal). The collectors generate the most energy when the sun’s rays are parallel with the tube of fluid. Since the sun moves across the sky throughout the days and seasons, it only reaches this “sweet spot” certain hours each day. But, if the solar collectors could move to track the sun, their power output could increase dramatically. Keep in mind that CSP is one of the most efficient forms of solar power. (more…)
