Systems, concentrating solar

Depending on the system, concentrating solar power generation can be designed to produce from tens to hundreds of megawatts of electricity. The power from it can be dispatchable, because these systems have cost-effective thermal storage and they can be hybridized (coupled with a conventional power plant). Consequently, these plants can produce power before or after sunrise (or 24-hour operation if desired). Concentrating solar power stations are best suited to be either peak-load or intermediate-load power stations. 

Quaschning, V. and Ortmanns, W. (2003). Specific cost development of photovoltaic and concentrated solar thermal systems depending on the global irradiation -a study performed with the simulation environment GREENIUS. The ISES Solar World Congress 2003,14-19 June 2003 Gothenburg, Sweden. Almeria, Spain DLR e.V. 

Concentrator Cells and Systems. Concentrators circumvent the problem of high semiconductor material cost by using mirrors or lenses to concentrate sunlight on small surface areas of more expensive solar cells. Concentration allows more power to be produced from a given amount of photosensitive material. 

Solar Thermal Collector A device designed to receive solar radiation and convert it into thermal energy. Normally, a solar thermal collector includes a frame, glazing and an absorber, together with the appropriate insulation. The heat collected by the solar thermal collector may be used immediately or stored for later use. Typical use is in solar hot water heating systems. Also, see Passive Solar and Concentrated Solar Power (CSP). ... 

Tamme, R., et al. (2003), Advanced Hydrogen Generation with Concentrated Solar Power Systems , Proceedings ofISEC 2003 International Solar Energy Conference, Hawaii, USA, 16-18 March. 

In several renewable energy processes, including the concentrating solar collectors, boilers, and combustion systems, the accurate measurement and control of high temperatures are required. These (over 1,000°C) temperatures are most often detected by thermocouples (types B, C, R, and S) and by optical and IR-radiation pyrometers. These devices are only briefly mentioned here, because they will be discussed in detail later. Here, the emphasis will be on some of the other high-temperature detectors such as sonic and ultrasonic sensors. 

Of particular interest are catalytic methane decomposition reactions producing special (e.g. filamentous) forms of carbon. For example, researchers have reported catalytic decomposition of methane over Ni catalyst at 500°C with the production of hydrogen and whisker carbon26 and concentrated solar radiation was used to thermally decompose methane into hydrogen and filamentous carbon.27 The advantages of this system included efficient heat transfer due to direct irradiation of the catalyst, and C02-free operation. 

Figure 1.1.17 The solar refinery as the conceptual contribution of chemistry by chemical energy conversion to the sustainable use of renewable energy. The upstream part (hydrogen generation) and the downstream parts need not to be colocalized in a practical realization. CSP stands for concentrated solar power. Green boxes indicate solar fuel products blue boxes stand for intermediate platform chemicals. The red arrows indicate flows of solar hydrogen to a storage and transport system for large-scale applications. The blue arrows show the major application lines for chemical production of solar fuels. The scheme also indicates the role of fertilizers from ammonia required in sustained use of biomass for energetic applications.

Concentrating solar collector systems that utilize the direct beam radiation would be more likely deployed in areas with relatively low aerosol optical depth, to maximize direct beam utilization.13... 

H. Aoki, H. Kaneko, N. Hasegawa, H. Ishihara, A. Suzuki, and Y. Tamaura, The ZnFe204/(Zn0+Fe304) system for H2 production using concentrated solar energy, Solid State Ionics, 172, 113-116, 2004... 

Typically, large-scale solar concentrators utilize parabolic reflectors in the form of trough, tower, or dish systems. These solar concentrators are characterized in terms of their mean flux concentration ratio Cr over an area Sa at the receiving focal plane as follows ... 

The high temperatures generated by concentrated solar power can be used to drive chemical reactions. The reverse reaction releases the chemically stored energy as thermal energy. Various systems have been investigated, such as the dissociation of sulphur trioxide (De Maria et al., 1985) ... 

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