Conventional line-focus solar concentrators are limited by the 2D concentration limit, two orders of magnitude lower than the three-dimensional limit. This leads to low concentration ratios and strict manufacturing tolerances. It has been shown that by eliminating the continuous translational symmetry of these systems, it is possible to go beyond the 2D limit while maintaining the linear geometry of a line focus. We demonstrate that one way to break this symmetry is through ´etendue rotation, and we present two new concentrator configurations based on this insight. The first configuration uses an ´etendue rotating retroreflector array to boost the concentration of a parabolic trough. Ray-tracing simulations show that this configuration can achieve very high geometric concentration ratios or very high acceptance angles (1484 x at ±9mrad acceptance angle, or 25 x at −70mrad). However, this configuration requires two-axis external solar tracking. To get around this, we demonstrate a second configuration that uses an ´etendue rotating lens array with tracking integration. We demonstrate a design that achieves a geometric concentration of 146x at a ±9mrad, with a simulated average yearly efficiency of 94.9% when used with conventional horizontal single-axis external tracking at an installation latitude of 30°. The extra constraints of the tracking integration gives this design a more modest concentration ratio, but it is still higher than the 2D concentration limit and more than three times as high as the concentration of a parabolic trough evaluated under the same conditions. We believe that these new configurations show that the design landscape for line-focus solar concentrators can be widened, and that a practical high-concentration line-focus concentrator may be within reach.
Conventional parabolic trough solar concentrators have the benefit of only requiring 1-axis tracking and having a line-focus suitable for heat extraction using long receiver pipes. However, by being 1-axis concentrators, their fundamental limit of concentration is 212x, compared to the 45 000x limit for 2-axis concentrators. We propose to use two recent developments from nonimaging optics to develop practical high-concentration line-focus concentrators. The first is the use of beam-steering lens arrays to redirect sunlight, allowing a concentrator to benefit from 2-axis tracking without being aimed directly towards the sun. The second is the use of étendue squeezing to increase concentration across one axis, at the cost of reduced concentration across the second axis. We show how these two developments may be used to create line-focus concentrators not limited by the 212x concentration limit, and present our work towards designing a practical system implementing these concepts.
An essential part of a concentrated solar power system is the solar tracker. Tracking is usually implemented by rotating the entire optical system to follow the sun, adding to the bulk and complexity of the system. Beam-steering lens arrays, on the other hand, enable solar tracking using millimeter-scale relative translation between a set of lens arrays stacked in an afocal configuration. We present an approach for designing and comparing beam-steering lens arrays based on multi-objective optimization, where the objective is to maximize efficiency, minimize divergence, and minimize cost/complexity. We then use this approach to develop new configurations with improved performance compared to previously reported results. As an example of a design suitable for high-concentration applications, we present a system consisting of four single-sided lens arrays that can track the sun with a yearly average efficiency of 74.4% into an exit-cone with divergence half-angle less than ±1◦. We also present a simplified system consisting of three single-sided lens arrays, which can be implemented with less mechanical complexity and potentially lower cost. This simplified system achieves 74.6% efficiency and a divergence half-angle of less than ±2.2◦, and might be relevant for low or medium concentration applications. We believe that these results demonstrate the previously untapped potential of beam-steering lens arrays. If such designs are successfully manufactured, they may become an attractive alternative to conventional external solar trackers for a range of solar energy applications.
Conventional tracking solar concentrators track sunlight by rotating the concentrator optics to face the sun, which adds to the cost and bulk of the system. Beam-steering lens arrays, in contrast, allow solar tracking without bulk rotation of the optics. It consists of lens arrays stacked in an afocal configuration, and tracking is implemented by relative translation between these lens arrays. In this work, we present a phase-space methodology for analyzing and optimizing the performance of the beam-steering, and for revealing optical aberrations in the system. Using this methodology, we develop a beam-steering lens array with simulated ≈70% efficiency across a two-axis
±40° tracking range, and a divergence of the outgoing beam of less than ±0.65°. We also present a functional small-scale prototype and demonstrate the feasibility of the concept for solar tracking. Beam-steering lens arrays can be placed in front of conventional concentrator optics and operated with little or no external tracking. This may enable low-cost robust concentrated solar power systems, and could also find other applications such as solar lighting and steerable illumination.
Conference Committee Involvement (1)
Nonimaging Optics: Efficient Design for Illumination and Concentration XIX
18 August 2024 | San Diego, California, United States
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