Hovering Solar Concentrators

A Low Cost Design for Large Scale Solar Power Generation

By

Dr. Brian Glassman

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

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

Solar Concentrators

• Photo Voltaic – Thin Film– Thick Film – Concentrating Photo Voltaic

• Concentrating Solar Cells – Linear Concentrator Systems– Dish/Engine Systems – Power Tower Systems

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!

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.

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

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

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

Solar Trough ArraysMirror

Support Structure

One Axis Gimble with

Motors

Expensive Curved Mirrors

Support Structure

Cheap Collector

Tubes

PV Arrays

2 axis gimble with

Motors

Expensive PV panels

PV support Structure

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!

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

GreenVineSolar’s Design

• Collectors suspended by cables

Fixed Mirror

Angle of Light Rays

Collectors

Suspension Cable

GreenVineSolar’s Large Array(Called Hovering Solar)

• Collectors suspended by grid of cables• Grid can translate and elevate

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

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)

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

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.

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

Utility Applications

• Supplement utility’s electrical production• Can use existing steam turbines

Contact Information

• Currently Looking to License this technology to installers or researchers

• Dr. Brian Glassman

• 321-543-7165

• Brian.Glassman@Gmail.com

• All information of this presentation is copyrighted (2-8-2010) all rights reseved