Solar Thermal Technologies

Solar Thermal Power Technologies
Lecture # 08
Dr. Muhammad Faisal Nadeem Khan

Assistant Professor
Renewable Energy Systems EED, UET Taxila 1

Direct and Diffuse solar radiation
Direct Normal Solar Irradiance
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ISB/RWP LHR KCHI PESHAWAR MULTAN QUETTA
Solar Technologies for Electricity
Generation
Operational Areas of Solar Thermal
and PV
Concentrating photovoltaics (CPV)
• One of the ways to increase the output from the photovoltaic
systems is to supply concentrated light onto the PV cells.
• This can be done by using optical light collectors, such as
lenses or mirrors.
• The PV systems that use concentrated light are called
concentrating photovoltaics (CPV).
• The CPV collect light from a larger area and concentrate it to a

smaller area solar cell.
• The CPV can only use direct
beam radiation and cannot use
diffuse radiation (diffused from
clouds and atmosphere).
• Therefore, these systems are
suited best for areas with high
direct normal irradiance.
• For proper light concentration,
sun tracking is needed for
achieving high cell performance.
• Tracking is especially critical for
high concentration systems.
Advantages Disadvantages
Less PV material, hence less cost With concentrated sunlight,

formation of hot spots is possible
Increased efficiency Tracking systems increase

complexity
Higher productivity throughout CPV can properly function only

the day due to tracking under direct beam radiation
CPV Market overview
• CPV systems have been much less represented on market
compared to traditional PV.
• In 2012, the only utility-scale CPV plant in operation was a 5 MW
project in Hatch, New Mexico, (commissioned in June 2011)
(Mendelsohn et al., 2012).
• However, the number of CPV projects launched for utility electricity
production was rapidly growing.
• The limited commercial success of CPV to date is partly because
these systems are more complex than PV systems.
• During 2008, as silicon prices were reaching new market highs, CPV
systems appeared ready for a commercial breakthrough.
• Prices have since collapsed, however, and this has changed the
economics of several alternative technologies, including CPV.
Concentrating Solar Power Technologies
• Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) covers a range of
technologies that utilize optical devices, such as mirrors and
lenses, to concentrate the beam solar radiation and to
provide for higher efficiency of its conversion into other
forms of energy.
• Typically in many sources, CSP systems are associated with
the solar thermal power; although, in a general sense, CSP
can work with both thermal solar power and photovoltaic
applications.
• Conversion of the concentrated sunlight can follow three
routes: conversion to heat, electricity, and fuels.
• Large utility scale plants primarily use the concentration of
thermal energy.
• CSP systems can only benefit from the direct beam radiation
and therefore are best suited to the regions with a high
percentage of clear sky days.
• The locations that have significant cloudiness, smog, or dust
are not favorable.
• By concentrator configuration, the commercial CSP systems
are represented by:
a. parabolic trough systems
b. central receiver towers
c. parabolic dish systems
d. linear Fresnel concentrators
• The CSP technology is one of the competitive options in

energy industry for combustion-free electricity generation.
• Cost of CSP tech. is mainly associated with capital investment.
• The main avenues for cost efficiency are linked to:
a. technical progress in CSP technology, R&D efforts, and lesson learned
from operating plants; and
b. scaling up to larger plant size, which allows for the use of more cost-
effective turbines for power conversion.
• The CSP technology has been commercialized and has

experienced rapid growth since 2005, in part stimulated by
the international concern for increased fossil fuel combustion
and climate change.
• Worldwide, the CSP expansion was led by Spain, which has
most CSP plants currently installed.
Commercial CSP systems
Parabolic Trough CSP Technology
• Most widespread among utility-scale solar thermal plants.
• Its Potential is very high and can provide output fluid temperatures
in the range 400-500°C.
• Linear-focus collector, consists of a cylindrically curved parabolic
mirror, which reflects the sunlight onto a tubular receiver positioned
in the focus line of the parabola.
• The tubular receiver contains the fluid that absorbs heat and
transfers it via circulation to the boiler or another device to produce
steam.
Modern Parabolic Concentrator
Central Tower CSP Technology
• Central receiver systems send
concentrated light onto a remote
central receiver.
• A typical example of such a system is a
solar power tower system, which
consists of multiple tracking mirrors
(heliostats) positioned in the field
around a main external receiver
installed on a tower.
• Such systems can reach much higher
levels of concentration than linear
systems.
• Concentrated radiation is further used
as heat to produce steam and convert it
to electricity
Central Tower CSP Technology
• Central CSP systems are typically large-scale plants that are
usually built to power a steam cycle.
• Central position of the receiver offers a universal advantage to
collect all energy at one location
• Fixed position of central receiver results in limitation of light
collection: heliostats are always oriented at an angle to the
direct beam, so the amount of energy collected is less
compared to a parabolic concentrators.
• Therefore, to reach the necessary efficiencies of light
concentration, the size of the collecting field is increased,
which brings into considerations such issues as land use,
higher environmental impacts, and higher capital costs.
• Significant potential for developing large-scale central
receiver solar plants is hence attributed to deserts and flat
arid.
Parabolic Dish CSP Technology
• Concentrates light in a single focal
point, i.e., all rays that are parallel to the
axis of the parabola are directed
towards the central receiver.
• Highest concentration ratios among all
other type of solar collectors.
• Usually, losses in this technology are
associated with the imperfections of
dish alignment and non-ideality of
reflection.
• The engine that converts the
concentrated solar energy into
electricity is placed at the focal point.
• This technology can be used for both
large-scale and small-scale power
generation systems.
Parabolic Dish CSP Technology
• Parabolic dish is a very efficient and flexible technology, which
is suitable for a various applications.
• There are many cases of applying this technology in remote
locations to provide self-sustained power for water heating,
water pumping, and alternative power.
• One of the features of the dish Stirling systems is their low
"inertia" - they start producing power very quickly as soon as
direct beam radiation hits the reflector.
• Stirling engines are very sensitive to variations in solar
intensity and results in sharp variation in power output and
frequent interruptions if the meteorological conditions are not
perfect.
• Because of the high intermittence, energy storage applications
which would buffer the power output, would be desirable, but
at the moment are not well developed.
Linear Fresnel CSP Technology
• Linear Fresnel (LFR) plant is highly modular, ranging from a few
hundred kW to several MW in size, and offers the lowest land
occupancy compared to other CSP technologies.
• The main advantage of LFR systems is that their simple design of
flat or flexibly bent mirrors and fixed receivers requires lower
investment costs and offers a wide range of configurations.
• Originally designed for low and medium power applications, LFRs
are now being designed for higher temperatures which facilitate
direct steam generation (DSG).
• Fresnel systems can be configured to operate over a wide
range of temperatures, from 200 to 500°C.
• LFRs have great potential in southern Africa due to the low
cost and high percentage of local manufacture inherent in
the technology.
Linear Fresnel Reflector Technology
Applications
Medium heat generation
Medium heat systems for industrial applications or
supplementary power systems operate in the temperature
range 100 to 250°C and may use water or oil as the heat
transfer medium.
Direct steam generation

Thanks to the fixed absorber tubes, direct steam
generation (DSG) is easier in LFR power plants than in
parabolic trough power plants. DSG has several
advantages over oil heat transfer
Advantages of DSG
• Steam as heat transfer fluid allows higher temperatures
because there is no danger of thermo oil cracking.
• The number of construction components can be reduced
because no heat exchange has to be realized).
• The thermo oil itself is an expensive component of CSP plants.
• As there is no heat transfer between two heat transfer fluids,
there is one thermal loss factor less.
• Water has further advantages: It is environmentally friendlier
than thermo oil so that leakages in a steam generating plant
do not produce environmental dangers.
• Water is less corrosive than salt. Its freezing temperature is
much lower than the freezing temperature of salt and even
slightly lower than of thermo oil.
Fresnel Reflector
Thermal - electric power conversion
• To make usable energy from solar
heat collection in CSP plants,
thermodynamic power
conversion cycles are used.
• Heat transfer fluid is directly
heated in the receivers, delivers
heat to the boiler, which
generates steam.
• Steam is supplied to the turbine
to generate mechanical work to
run electric generator.
• It is same as conventional fossil
fuel power plants, except for the
heat being through concentration
of solar radiation.
Thermal - electric power conversion
Fresnel Technology Power Plant
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Solar Thermal Power Technologies

Dr. Muhammad Faisal Nadeem Khan

Renewable Energy Systems EED, UET Taxila 1

• The CPV collect light from a larger area and concentrate it to a

Less PV material, hence less cost With concentrated sunlight,

Increased efficiency Tracking systems increase

Higher productivity throughout CPV can properly function only

• The CSP technology is one of the competitive options in

• The CSP technology has been commercialized and has

Direct steam generation

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