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LightManufacturing Systems

LightManufacturing builds high performance heliostats (the H1 heliostat) and complete solar thermal manufacturing systems.  Their off-grid Solar Rotational Molding Systems make plastic parts with heat from the sun, without fossil fuels, for a savings of 10%-30% compared to traditional rotomolding.  LightManufacturing heliostat solar thermal systems also dry agricultural products, heat and light buildings, and generate steam.


http://www.lightmanufacturingsystems.com
 
V3solar - a solar technology that defies  a category

Closer to an electric generator than a flat, static solar panel, the V3 Solar Spin Cell lowers the Total Cost of Ownership while increasing the "energy density", or the amount of power generated in a given footprint. This opens up new and significant market opportunities.
V3Solar's mission is to invent, manufacture, and distribute innovative solar technology that serves humanity.
http://www.v3solar.com
 

Semprius concentrating PV

Semprius delivers a unique high concentration photovoltaic (HCPV) module design that begins with its proprietary micro-transfer printing process. This process enables Semprius to use the world's smallest solar cell - approximately the size of a pencil point - to create solar modules with unmatched costs and performance advantages.

http://www.semprius.com
 

Graphite Energy - a solar concentrator with storage

Graphite Energy was established in 2008 to develop and bring to market solar thermal receiver technology.

The company is privately owned and is focused on development and supply of its principle product, the G1-SSR, which is a simple and robust solar superheater and storage receiver.
http://www.graphiteenergy.com
 

Solaris Synergy floating solar concentrators

Solaris Synergy's medium-concentration F-CPV system is based on proven and patented evaporation cooling technology that keeps silicon PV elements at a low and stable temperature (~86ºF / 30ºC) around the clock. As a result, the system generates new opportunities in the utilization of these silicon elements by increasing their power generation efficiency by up to 20%, enhancing their reliability, and extending their lifespan.

http://ww.solaris-synergy.com




Thermata Mirrors

Thermata will supply the lowest cost, yet most accurate and versatile, heliostat field in the industry.
Heliostats that focus the sun on a target can make up more than 40% of the total cost of a project. Thermata’s core technology enables a unique and aggressively low-cost heliostat field that is scalable from remote deployment to industrial rooftop to utility scale. Our proprietary, continuous closed-loop tracking system eliminates the need for encoders, linear actuators, and other expensive components.

http://www.thermata.com/
 

Cheng Tsung Concentrating Solar Cooker

This design combine two solar cookers with rescue commodities (like dry food, water... ) to become the emergency rescue service commodity combination. It could be transported to the disaster areas or the refugee camps to provide the disaster victims temporary kitchen work equipments. The people may assemble the solar cooker by themselves and heat food and water with heat energy from sunlight.
http://www.chengtsung.com/2012/01/solar-cooker-for-da.html
 

Monarch Power Solar Lotus

The Lotus shall generate both electricity and hot water. The Monarch Lotus mimics the remarkable Lotus plant, which holds a special place in Asia. It is seen as a symbol of purity (grows out of muddy water yet remaining untainted), beauty (not only for its colorful flowers but also its distinctive leaves and pods), prosperity (every part of the lotus plant is edible), and perseverance.

http://www.monarch-power.com/blog/2012/02/28/introducing-the-monarch-lotus/
 

Sunflower grill: Solar Cooker
Solar Cooker Sunflower Grill users can control the temperature by adjusting the angle of the reflectors to move the focal point and folded to smaller size when done being. Once reflectors face the Sun, user turns the dial, then the reflectors turn (follow) toward the sun (Current parabolic solar cooker has to be turned every 15-20 minutes). An insulated glass bowl substitutes commonly used cooking oven bag, and works 10% more efficiently than plastics.
http://www.pasly.com/v5/cooker.html


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Solar Lite CSP power stations

Solarlite develops and builds decentralised solar thermal parabolic trough power plants (Concentrated Solar Power). For the first time worldwide, the company is applying direct steam generation commercially in a power plant. With the SL 4600, the company has successfully developed a parabolic trough collector made with a combination of glass fibre composite material and an efficient thin-film glass mirror.

http://www.solarlite.de/en/power_plants.cfm
 

Solar Reserve - heliostat with tracking mirrors
SolarReserve’s technology, typically referred to as Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), uses thousands of mirrors to reflect and concentrate sunlight onto a central point to generate heat, which in turn is used to generate electricity. More than 10 thousand tracking mirrors called heliostats reside in a 1,500 acre field, where they reflect and concentrate sunlight onto a large heat exchanger called a receiver that sits atop a 550-foot tower.
http://www.solar-reserve.com
 
Areva Solar

AREVA Solar, an AREVA subsidiary owned in its entirety by the Group, designs, manufactures and installs solar steam generators for the global power generation and industrial steam needs of its customers in a dependable, market-competitive and environmentally responsible manner. AREVA Solar serves a broad range of power and industrial steam customers, providing fully integrated solar thermal product offerings.


http://www.areva.com
 

Sunpulse Stirling Engine

The Sun pulse, a innovative water pump using solar concentrator and stirling engine. At the front of the pump is a solar collector; this reflects sunlight towards the middle where it heats up the front of a Stirling Engine. Sunvention's unique design of Stirling engine uses air at atmospheric pressure as the working fluid, and pulses at a slow 30-60 times per minute. The pump can be attached to a rotary pump, or as shown, connected to a hydraulic cylinder.

http://www.tamera.org/index.php?id=886&L=0%2F%2Fassets%2Fsnippets%25


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eSolar Concentrating Solar Power

eSolar designs and develops Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) projects that start at 46MW and are scalable to any size. eSolar power plant technology utilizes small, flat mirrors which track the sun with high precision and reflect the sun's heat to a tower-mounted receiver, which boils water to create steam. This steam powers a traditional turbine and generator to produce electricity.

http://www.esolar.com
 

Skyfuel Solar Thermal Power

 

SkyFuel, Inc. is a solar thermal power technology and service provider founded in 2007. SkyFuel solar collectors harness solar radiation to produce steam for electricity generation and industrial applications. The Company is a leading supplier of utility-scale concentrating solar power (CSP) systems. SkyFuel currently offers an advanced, glass-free parabolic trough solar thermal collector, called the SkyTrough®.

http://www.skyfuel.com/
 

Sopogy MicroCSP


Sopogy pioneered Micro-Scaled Concentrating Solar Power or "MicroCSP" technologies.  Sopogy's MicroCSP systems cost the same to install conventional Photovoltaic solar systems but increase the amount of energy generated bringing better investment returns to our customers.  MicroCSP uses concentrating mirrors with optics, low cost thermal storage, sun tracking, and a affordable systems installation technique to keep the costs down while delivering a quick payback.  

http://www.sopogy.co
 

Solar Millenium

Solar Millennium is specialised in parabolic trough power plants, a proven and future-oriented technology, in which the Group holds a globally leading position. Besides the three Andasol projects in Spain, a parabolic trough power plant is being built in Egypt . Various further projects with an overall capacity of more than 2,000 Megawatts worldwide are in the planning phase with focus on Spain, USA, China and North-Africa. In the future, solar thermal power plants in the south will contribute to Central Europe`s electricity supply.

http://www.solarmillennium.de/index,lang2.html


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Solfocus Concentrating Photovoltaics

SolFocus has developed leading concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) technology which combines high-efficiency solar cells (approaching 40%) and advanced optics to provide solar energy solutions which are scalable, dependable and capable of delivering on the promise of clean, low-cost, renewable energy.

http://www.solfocus.com/en/about-us/


Concentrix Solat CPV

Concentrix Solar GmbH was founded in 2005 as a spin-off company of Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems. The company is located in Freiburg in Breisgau. Concentrix Solar further developed the Concentrator PV technology generated from many years of research work at Fraunhofer ISE and brought it from the laboratory to market ready products and advanced it into series production. Under the name FLATCON ® , we offer complete, turnkey concentrator photovoltaic power plants on the commercial level.

http://www.concentrix-solar.de/technology/?L=1


Energy Innovations Sunflower HCPV

From its founding in 2001, Energy Innovations believed in the promise of concentrated solar. Today we stand ready to realize that promise. With the introduction of our new Sunflower HCPV solution, we have harnessed the power of 1,200 suns to achieve an astounding 29% module efficiency. But we didn't stop there — with our holistic approach, we also created the world's simplest and lowest-cost HCPV solution to install.

http://hi-globe.com/?page_id=671

Amonix Concentrated PV
Amonix is the leading designer and manufacturer of concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) commercial solar power systems. Based on advanced photovoltaic solar cells developed for use in outer space, the Amonix commercial solar power system requires no water for power production and uses land more efficiently – all while producing more energy per acre than any other solar energy technology.
www.amonix.com


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Green and Gold CPV

Green and Gold's solar strategy is to dramatically exceed the cost effectiveness of existing PV flat panels through focused innovations in both the effective collection of solar energy (peak kWs) and the generation of maximum annual electric power (kWhs). To execute this program, our design and development teams worked to create the innovative and ground breaking "SunCube™". 

http://www.greenandgoldenergy.com.au


Cyrium Technologies CPV

Advanced quantum dot nanotechnology high efficiency Concentrator Photovoltaic (CPV) cells at high concentration. Cyrium is committed to enabling the expansion and wide-spread acceptance of Concentrator Photovoltaics (CPV) and now offers the QDEC (Quantum Dot Enhanced Cell) product family of standard cell size products. In addition standard QDEC cells, Cyrium also provides cell performance optimization and customization services through the Application-Specific Concentrator Cells (ASCC).

http://www.cyriumtechnologies.com/about-cyrium


Cool Earth Inflated Concentrator

Our inflated, balloon-shaped concentrators are key to Cool Earth's innovative design. When inflated with air, the concentrator naturally forms a shape that focuses or concentrates sunlight onto a PV cell placed at the focal point. This means we need fewer cells to produce a lot more electricity. In fact, a single cell in our concentrator generates about 300 to 400 times the electricity of a cell without a concentrator.

http://www.coolearthsolar.com


Sol3g HCPV System

Sol3g is one of the first companies at world-wide level in commercializing HCPV systems. The company centers its activity in the consultancy, investigation, manufacture and commercialization of third generation photovoltaic systems, particularly specialized in high concentration systems, non-imaging optics and advanced intelligent electro-mechanical tracking and control systems.

http://www.pyronsolar.com/


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Chromasun Micro-Concentrator

The Chromasun Micro-Concentrator is a high performance solar collector that uses the same technology as utility scale solar systems, except now in a much smaller package. It has been designed purposely for rooftop integration. The MCT is low profile, lightweight and has no external moving parts so it’s simple to mount and easy to maintain. Using a 25X Fresnel reflector optic the MCT generates temperatures up to 400°F (200°C).

http://www.chromasun.com


Heliofocus Concentrator

All HelioFocus-developed solar applications use the same source of solar energy source: the dish, receiver, and heat logistics elements are used identically for the different solutions and applications. This configuration enables high commonality in hardware, achieving better cost values in high volume manufacturing. By combining several dishes in a branch, or by having a large-scale dish field configuration, thermal output for large scale consumers can be provided.

http://www.heliofocus.com
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Sunflower Home Heliostat

The Sunflower Home Heliostat is a completely stand-alone consumer class heliostat. It is fully solar powered and it independently recognizes and tracks the Sun with its onboard computer and sensors. The Sunflower is easy to set-up and requires little maintenance. It requires only a Phillips head screw driver to assemble.

http://www.homeheliostat.com/


Solar Energy Generating Systems

Solar Energy Generating Systems (SEGS) is the largest solar energy generating facility in the world, consisting of nine solar power plants in California's Mojave Desert. SEGS I–II (44 MW) are located at Daggett, SEGS III–VII (150 MW) are installed at Kramer Junction, and SEGS VIII–IX (160 MW) are placed at Harper Lake. NextEra Energy Resources operates and partially owns the plants located at Kramer Junction and Harper Lake.

http://www.nrel.gov/csp/troughnet/power_plant_data.html#segs_viii


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Cleaning the solar troughs with water spray. Dust and debris can significantly reduce the energy output from concentrating solar power systems. The volume of water and economic costs should be considered as these are maintenance costs associated.


Scheffler concentrating heliostat mirrors

 


Left: The Scheffler concentrating heliostat mirrors in an array for producing steam for a commercial kitchen in India. Right:  The Scheffler mirror. This small mirror uses a concentrating heliostat arrangement. However, its size is limited by its engineering design and application. This dish is about 10 sqr metres.


Cleaning a heliostat mirror. As can be seen, considerable effort may be required to clean the mirror surface.

 




For more than 20 years Solar Two was the largest of its type in the country (and only one of two similar structures in the USA), and the first of four major solar power plants built in the region, for years the largest concentration of solar energy production in the world.  The heat transfer medium, which was heated in the "solar power tower", was circulated to the steam and electric generating facilities.

http://clui.org/ludb/site/solar-two-experimental-solar-facility-site


Solar Tower technology at the Solar Research Facilities of the Weizmann Institute of Science (WIS). A major feature of the Unit is a SolarPower Tower containing a field of 64 large, multi-faceted mirrors (heliostats), each measuring 7 X 8 meters. Each heliostat tracks the movement of the sun independently and reflects its light onto a selected target on a 54-meter high tower. 

 
http://www.weizmann.ac.il/acadaff/Scientific_Activities/2010/Solar_Research_Facilities.html


Heliostat mirrors from a Spanish Solar Tower project.




eSolar Concentrating Solar Power

eSolar designs and develops Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) projects that start at 46MW and are scalable to any size. eSolar power plant technology utilizes small, flat mirrors which track the sun with high precision and reflect the sun's heat to a tower-mounted receiver, which boils water to create steam. This steam powers a traditional turbine and generator to produce electricity.

http://www.esolar.com/


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Photon Energy Transformer & Astrophysics Laboratory

The Photon Energy Transformer & Astrophysics Laboratory (PETAL) is the world's largest dish-shaped solar concentrator. Using this facility Sde Boqer's scientists will be able to concentrate 400 kW of sunlight to intensities up to 10,000 times stronger than normal noontime sunshine.

 

http://web.bgu.ac.il/Eng/Units/bidr/Faculty_Members/Biryukov.htm

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http://www.bgu.ac.il

SBP dish/Stirling systems

The project involved the construction of two 50 kW dish/Stirling systems close to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. These were the first large concentrators built using metal membrane technology, and they still are the largest dish/Stirling systems worldwide. The highly efficient Stirling motors were equipped for solar operation for the first time and a very innovative, state of the art drive and control system was developed.

http://www.sbp.de/en#sun/show/79-50_kW_Dish_Stirling_System




An array of solar concentrators using Stirling Engines >>

<< Close up of the direct intercept concentrators with Stirling Engines.

 



A direct intercept concentrator with a counterbalance design.

 



The ultra-high efficiency concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) power generation system technology is based on the use of the company’s proprietary ‘Dense Array’ Convertor Technology which utilises the world’s highest efficiency triple junction (TJ) solar cells, capable of converting sunlight into electricity at around 40% efficiency. 

www.solarsystems.com.au


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Solar Systems

An engineer checks the reciever head of the Solar Systems SS20 Solar Electric Generation Unit. The SS20 uses water cooled photovoltaics to produce about 20 KW electrical. A later design combined the opportunity to use cooling water for hot water heating purposes rather than just as a heat dump.


http://www.solarsystems.com.au
Stirling Energy Systems

Left: An American direct intercept dish. This is the Stirling Energy Systems Solar Concentrator. Right: The 25kW Stirling Engine. See here is the cooling fan at the rear of the unit. The cooling fan assists to lower the temperature of the condensor. The temperature difference between the hot and cold ends of a Stirling Engine determine the efficiency of the unit.


Left: Reflection of an engineer looking into the reciever of The Stirling Energy Systems 25 kW Stirling
Engine. Right:
The 25kW stirline engine used for the Stirling Energy Systems direct intercept system.
The picture shows the reciever end of the engine. The spiral metal is the pick up for the hot spot.

 

The 25kW Stirling Engine. See here is the cooling fan at the rear of the unit. The cooling fan assists to lower the temperature of the condensor. The temperature difference between the hot and cold ends of a Stirling Engine determine the efficiency of the unit.

http://www.stirlingenergy.com


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SAIC Sundisch 

Another American technology, the The SAIC Sundish with a 20 kW STM stirling engine.

 


Left: The SAIC Sundish in the park position. This position allows offers the system some protection from heavy weather and allows accss to the Stirling Engine for maintenance. Right: The STM stirling engine used to power the SAIC Sundish.


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The Concentrating Solar Power Global Market Initiative 

SolarPACES is an international cooperative organisation bringing together teams of national experts from around the world to focus on the development and marketing of concentrating solar power systems (also known as solar thermal power systems).

http://www.solarpaces.org

Greenpeace Solar Thermal Power 2020

This report demonstrates that there are no technical, economic or resource barriers to supplying 5% of the world’s electricity needs from solar thermal power alone by 2040 – even against the challenging backdrop of a projected more than doubling in global electricity demand. The solar thermal industry is capable of becoming a dynamic, innovative €15 billion annual business within 20 years, unlocking a new global era of economic, technological and environmental progress.
http://archive.greenpeace.org/docs/SolarThermalPower.pdf

About Concentrating Solar Power

Concentrating solar power (CSP) is a form of energy production technology that concentrates large amounts of solar energy onto a small area. Here, the energy density is much higher than that available from just beam sunshine and the efficiencies of its conversion to useful energy (ie electricity or steam) is much higher. There are three main types of CSP including direct intercept dishes, solar troughs and solar towers. Some newcomers to the field include, for example, the Compact Linear Freznel Reflectors. Solarsphere technology combines elements of direct intercept dishes with solar towers and does this with a design philosophy and materials that potentially permit the units to be produced large and inexpensively.

Direct Intercept Dishes

  • Solar Energy Systems, Australia
  • Stirling Energy Systems, USA
  • Schlaich Bergermann partners (Eurodish)

Parabolic Troughs

  • Eurotrough
  • Solar Energy Generating Systems

Solar Towers

  • Solar Tres, Spain
  • Solar Two, USA

Solarsphere

Solarsphere Technology combines elements of both direct intercept dishes and Solar Towers. The design philosophy that focuses on spheres and lightweight, thin film materials presents opportunities for concentrators that are large, cheap and mass producible.



Solarsphere Concentrating Solar Power Technology

The Solarsphere technology used thin film structures to form a cncentrating mirror.

The hot spot from a 4 metre mirror against a rendered concrete wall (left). The spot is 45cm in diameter and represents a concentration of about 100 to 1.

Below is the 4 metre diameter ball under construction and further below is the 8 metre diameter unit being tested.


 

Echo 1 Satellite made by NASA in the 1965s. The 30 meter diameter balloon was made of 0.127 mm thick Mylar polyester film. Test inflation of a PAGEOS satellite in a blimp hangar at Weeksville, North Carolina.

This technology demonstrates a key concept of Solarsphere: the opportunity to construct very large inflated spheres.

http://grin.hq.nasa.gov/ABSTRACTS/GPN-2000-001896.html