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Hovering Solar Concentrators
A Low Cost Design for Large Scale Solar Power Generation
By
Dr. Brian Glassman
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Cost Per Installed Watt is Key
Investing in a Solar power system is a business decision which must be financially justified
• Payback Time
• Return on Investment
• Total Cost
• Maintenance /Replacement Cost Being Green is nice, but it ultimately will not
make solar popular as an alternative
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Lower Cost Designs
To be adopted by large utility companies, solar must compete against electricity prices generated by gas, coal, and oil.
• Current Solar Voltaic Cells are around – $2.5 per installed watt small quantities
• New gas, coal, and oil electric plants are:– Coal $2.0 to $3.3 per installed watt– LNG $1 to $2 per installed watt– Oil Fill in
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Solar Concentrators
• Photo Voltaic – Thin Film– Thick Film – Concentrating Photo Voltaic
• Concentrating Solar Cells – Linear Concentrator Systems– Dish/Engine Systems – Power Tower Systems
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Components of Solar Concentrator Designs
Dish/Engine Systems
Mirror’s Supporting Structure
Individual Mirrors
Individual Sterling Engine
(Collector)
Rotating Gimble &
Heavy Motors
Support Structure
for Collector
High efficiency, but expensive at $10 to $25 per installed watt The fundamental of the design will always make it expensive!
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Dish/Engine Systems
1. Multiple or Curved Mirror Significant cost item
2. Mirror Supporting Structure3. Heavy Motors and Gimble 2 axis Significant cost
4. Individual Sterling Engine Collector Significant cost
5. Support Structure for Collector
Very Efficient, but to expensive to be considered for full scale power generation.
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Power Towers (lots of design components)
One large investment ($0.8 to 1.4 billion) , highly efficient, but the number of components make it expensive!
Large Expensive
Tower
Motors & Gimbles
Mirror Support
Structure
Expensive Steam
Generator
Single Large Solar Collector
Link
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Components of a Power Tower
1. Large tower & Collector (single large expense)
2. Expensive Steam E/Generator (single large expense)
3. Large Mirror Array
4. Mirror Support Structure
5. Heavy Motors & Gimbles
Power towers can greatly reduce installation cost by being placed next to an existing power plant and use that plants existing steam to electric generator
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Solar ConcentratorsCheaper Mirror
Support Structure
Cheaper Radiant Heat Concentrator
Different Mirror Angles Require Multiple Motors
Simple Support
Structure
Simple Flat Mirrors
Getting better, but still many moving parts requiring motors
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Solar Trough ArraysMirror
Support Structure
One Axis Gimble with
Motors
Expensive Curved Mirrors
Support Structure
Cheap Collector
Tubes
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PV Arrays
2 axis gimble with
Motors
Expensive PV panels
PV support Structure
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Current Designs are Insufficient
• All current design have significant cost elements inherent to their design
• I.E. You can make them as cheap as possible, but they will still not break the $2 per watt barrier because of their base designs
• A new type of design is needed!
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Move the Collectors!
All designs assume the collector must stay stationary to
the mirrors, but moving them makes the design cheaper!
Morning Noon
Late Afternoon
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GreenVineSolar’s Design
• Collectors suspended by cables
Fixed Mirror
Angle of Light Rays
Collectors
Suspension Cable
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GreenVineSolar’s Large Array(Called Hovering Solar)
• Collectors suspended by grid of cables• Grid can translate and elevate
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Components of Hovering Solar
1. Large tower & Collector
2. Expensive Steam Generator
3. Large Mirror Array
4. Mirror Support Structure
5. Heavy Motors & Gimbles
6. Light Motors to move collectors
7. Multiple or Curved Mirror
8. Mirror Supporting Structure
9. Rotating Motors and Gimble 2 axis
10. Individual Sterling Engine Collector
11. Support Structure for Collector
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Components of the Hovering Solar Design
1. Solar collectors
2. Cables to suspend collectors
3. Support structure for cables
4. Motors to move cables & collectors
5. Flat Mirrors6. Steam Turbine (if using Radiant heat collectors)
7. DC to AC converters (if using PV cells collectors)
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Mirrors
Because the mirrors do not move they can be made out of cheaper materials– Aluminized sheet metal– Cheap glass mirrors– Cheap polycarbonate mirrors– Stretched aluminized fabrics
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Collectors
Different types of collectors can be used
• Radiant heat collectors– Generates steam (phase change)– Heats gas or other fluid
• Photo Voltaic – But one must be careful not to over heat
PV cells.
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Applications
• Utility companies • Large Scale Power Generation
– (100+ MW class)
• Medium size power generation – (5 to 100 MW class)
• Large factories with sufficient land • Small utility companies
Will not work well in: • Urban or City Environments• Areas of heavy snow fall or high wind
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Utility Applications
• Supplement utility’s electrical production• Can use existing steam turbines
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Contact Information
• Currently Looking to License this technology to installers or researchers
• Dr. Brian Glassman
• 321-543-7165
• All information of this presentation is copyrighted (2-8-2010) all rights reseved