parabolic trough

This report was prepared by David Mills and Robert Morgan of Ausra, Inc.

In this report the authors pose the question as to whether or not a viable energy system can be based mostly around solar thermal electricity. The results of the report suggest that the US grid can be largely supplied by STE systems that are close to “market –ready”.

The findings also suggest that STE has enough of a seasonal correlation to supply not only the US grid, but China and India as well.

This report was prepared by David R. Mills and Robert G. Morgan.

The report talks about various ways the US can use the sun as an integrated renewable energy source to fully power the US electrical grid. The report also shows how STE (solar thermal electricity) is being used in different platforms and with the proper storage could be used to power a great majority of the US. A calculation provided in the report suggest that the cost of the STE option will be less than continuing to import oil as well as decrease our dependence on fossil fuels.

This report was released in 2010 by Floyd Associates. It is an industry report that discusses the market opportunity for solar energy, worldwide.

It talks about all types of solar energy, and solar thermal in particular. There are pictures to show the concepts of different solar thermal technology including: dish/engine power plant, linear Fresnel reflector power plant, parabolic trough power plant, and a power tower power plant.

This report was arranged by Renewable Energy World. The report provides explanations behind the need for solar thermal power as an energy source. Four different options for solar thermal conversion are explained including the parabolic trough or solar farm, solar central receiver or power tower, trough power plants, and power tower plants.

This report was released by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in 2003. It provides an overview of the Parabolic Trough model with details regarding performance, cost and economic assessment of design and technology variations.

They compare modeled parabolic trough numbers with actual outputs through cost models and performance models, as well as going over predictions and assumptions based off of their model.

This report was released by the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy section of the U.S. Department of Energy in 2004. It highlights a large-scale solar thermal system installed at the Phoenix Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) and breaks down the statistical output.

The system was financed through an Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC), which include an average annual savings of $6,700. The system produces up to 50,000 gallons of hot water daily, 1,000 megawatt-hours of electricity and releases approximately 600 tons of CO2.

This manuscript was written by Sandia Corporation with the U.S. Department of Energy in 2008. It reports recent developments of multi-component molten salt formulations that have advantageous properties for applications as heat transfer fluids for parabolic trough solar systems.

These alternative transfer fluids demonstrate stability in the presence of air up to approximately 500 degrees Celsius, and is expected to be inexpensive compared to synthetic organic heat transfer fluids.

This fact sheet was written by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute in 2009. The document starts with a brief background on solar thermal energy and then describes the different types of solar thermal systems (parabolic trough, linear fresnal reflectors, dish/engine, power tower).

This paper was presented at the 2008 International Renewable Energy Storage Conference which took place in Berlin, Germany. In 2003/2004, the German government funded a project undertaken by the German Aerospace Center to test a concrete storage module on the Plataforma Solar de Almeria in Spain.

A follow up project developed by Ed. Züblin AG concentrated on cost reduction, storage capacity and thermal conductivity. The design, construction and test results of the concrete storage test module are presented in this paper.

This 2009 document is the contribution from ESTELA (European Solar Thermal Electricity Association) to the European Commission’s Strategic Energy Technology Plan. The report gives a good overview of the strategic benefits of focusing on solar thermal and connects it with its socio-economic benefits.