Solar Concentrators

Solar concentrators focus light and heat energy to increase the energy density at the receiver.

  Solar Concentrators

Mirror concentrators are parabolic or "trough" type, or a paraboloidal "dish" shape. The trough version is used in SEGS near Barstow CA, where they heat oil to some 700 degrees Celsius in a pipe placed at the focus. The heated oil is pumped to a large tank, and a heat exchanger boils water to drive a turbine and generate electricity.

Dish concentrators focus energy to a point or disk and achieve extremely high temperatures of approximately 3000°C.

 Learn about a proposed dish solar concentrator (htm); in PowerPoint here. This system could be used by several colleges/institutes at Florida Tech.

  Solar Receivers

The receiver is the target of the concentrated sunlight.

  Links

Sandia at Albuquerque NM

FSEC (Florida Solar Energy Center)

SAIC

France: Odeille

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Solar/SolarConcentrator/solar.htm updated 050120