Stirling Solar Power Generators

The present cost of a 25 kW, 944 ft2 stand-alone prototype unit is about 150,000. This price is likely to drop as production volume rises. Stirling Energy Systems, Inc., is operating a six-dish test unit at Sandia National Laboratories and has contracts for full-size power plants. Their construction started in 2008 and will be completed in 2012. A 500 mW plant will be built at Victorville, California, in the Mojave Desert for Southern California Edison. This construction is estimated to take 3-4 years. The plant will consist of 20,000 dishes over a 4,500 acre area. Another 300 mW plant will also be built at Imperial Valley, Calexico, California, for San Diego Gas and Electric on an area of 2,000 acres. 

The Stirling engine contains a fixed quantity of gas (H2) that is moved back and forth between the hot and the cold ends of the engine. As the gas is moved, it expands and contracts, and this change in volume is used to drive 

In phase 1 of the cycle, when most of the gas is in the power piston (the hot end on the right), the gas is heated by the Sun and it therefore expands, forcing the power piston to the left. This is when the engine does the work, 

One version of the Stirling engine, with the power piston on the hot (right) side of the engine and the displacer piston on the cold (left) side. 

Post-Oil Energy Technology After the Age of Fossil Fuels 

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To generate electricity for homes and businesses, research Stirling generators fueled by either solar energy or natural gas have been tested. They run on solar power when the sun is shining and automatically convert to clean burning natural gas at night or when the weather is cloudy. 

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