Sandia National Laboratories engineers have developed new fractal-like, concentrating solar power receivers for small- to medium-scale use that are up to 20 percent more effective at absorbing sunlight than current technology.
Sandia National Laboratories engineers have developed new fractal-like, concentrating solar power receivers for small- to medium-scale use that are up to 20 percent more effective at absorbing sunlight than current technology.
The receivers were designed and studied as part of a Laboratory Directed Research and Developmentproject and are also being applied to Sandia’s work for the Solar Energy Research Institute for India and the United States, or SERIIUS.
SERIIUS is a five-year project co-led by the Indian Institute of Science and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and the government of India, that aims to develop and improve cost effective solar technology for both countries by addressing the barriers and challenges of each market. Sandia has led the group’s research in concentrating solar power, focusing on scalable systems.
While most concentrating solar power facilities throughout the world are large, Sandia engineer Cliff Ho says India is interested in developing 1 megawatt or smaller facilities that could provide the appropriate amount of power for a small village or community. Improving the efficiency of these smaller receiver designs is a key step toward making that goal a reality.
Read more at DOE/Sandia National Laboratories
Image: Year-round Sandia National Laboratories intern Jesus Ortega inspects one of the new bladed receivers at Sandia's National Solar Thermal Testing Facility. (Credit: Photo by Randy Montoya)
