Cost optimal deployment of mirrors associated with a high temperature solar energy system
An absorbing cavity or collector of solar energy is mounted on a tower which is assumed to be erected over horizontal terrain. Located about the base of the tower are many relatively small mirrors of predetermined size. The bases of the mirror mounts are rigidly attached to the ground. During daylight hours, each mirror is continuously positioned so that the specular component of incident sunlight is reflected into an aperture by an array of mirrors belonging to a certain family (the class of locally uniform rectangular arrays) whose total surface area is not more than some preassigned value. The upper bound is obtained by building up an optimal mirror array in local blocks. Although these blocks may not combine to generate a realizable deployment, their properties should be of assistance in finding superior members of the family. These results are combined with a simple cost model to obtain a lower bound on the minimum cost per unit of redirected energy as a function of the unit mirror cost.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia Labs., Livermore, CA
- OSTI ID:
- 7327206
- Journal Information:
- Sol. Energy; (United States), Vol. 19:1
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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