Year: 2024
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: In recent years, great efforts have been made to reach a consensus on heliostat testing best practices. A specific SolarPACES task was launched to provide a Heliostat Testing Guidelines document for single heliostat evaluation with a focus on prototype validation and qualification. Such guidelines are not well-suited for heliostat evaluation in operating commercial heliostat fields. The commercial implementation of the Central Receiver technology is burdened by the lack of a demonstrated cost-effective methodology to test solar fields, particularly during the commissioning and operation phases of the plant. To address heliostat characterization challenges, the SolarPACES funded Project “Analyze Heliostat Field” aims to set the basis towards a SolarPACES guideline for Heliostat Field Performance testing under a common framework. This is by means of a review of the existing methodologies, R&D and industrial stakeholders information sharing and preparation of a future quantitative comparison and validation plan. As part of the development of this project, several meetings and a workshop involving the SolarPACES community was organized to share knowledge and experience in the measurement and characterization of heliostat fields using a range of technologies and procedures. Research centers and companies from 5 different and distant countries have actively participated in these meetings, sharing their experiences, needs and interests. This paper summarizes the outcome of this international collaborative effort and the prospects for future close collaborations sustained over time.
Institutions: National Renewable Energy Centre, National Renewable Energy Centre, Australian National University, Sandia National Laboratories California, Sandia National Laboratories, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V. (DLR), Tekniker, Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas, Cyprus Institute, Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies, IMDEA Energy Institute, National Laboratory of the Rockies, Concentrating Solar Power Services (Germany), Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems
Language: English
Field: Energy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4402819822