News

Special Issue: Heliostat Technologies for Concentrating Solar-Thermal Power (CSP)

Concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP), naturally coupled with thermal energy storage, can offer competitive renewable energy generation for (1) dispatchable electricity to the grid, compared with PV, wind, and batteries; (2) industrial process heat, particularly with a temperature higher than 200 °C, in a wide range of industrial applications; and (3) renewable fuel generation through high-temperature heat above 1000 °C.

Read the full study here.

Featured Researcher

Aaron Spieles  (Sandia National Laboratories)

Aaron Spieles is an early career researcher at Sandia National Laboratories with a background in Mechanical Engineering focusing on thermal sciences and modeling. Aaron was quickly introduced to the transdisciplinary problem of heliostat field deployment to support HelioCon. The field deployment task is largely focused on barriers preventing the permitting and instillation of a heliostat field and developing strategies to advocate for heliostat fields for future stakeholders. One of the primary challenges in securing permission to deploy a heliostat field is the impact that site preparation, construction, and operations and maintenance of a site will have on the local environment as well as risks to local communities. This is especially important for applications to deploy concentrated solar power on federally managed land. Areas with incredible solar resources are often deserts which contain lower densities of flora and fauna but their continued inclusion in the local ecology is even more critical for it. Aaron is supporting HelioCon efforts to understand the impacts that heliostat fields have on local environments, particularly the desert tortoise, as well as exploring heliostat foundation, pedestal, and instillation methods that utilize currently accepted technology minimizing environmental impact.

Past Featured Researchers

CAD model of mirror array workstation prototype with 1 facet placed. Sixteen vertically adjustable control points (highlighted in red) per facet allow 2-D focusing of mirror array.

Featured Project

SunRing Advanced Manufacturing and Field Deployment

Description:
This project by Solar Dynamics LLC develops an advanced on-site assembly line for its existing heliostat.  The assembly line incorporates a new mirror array workstation that adds 2-D focusing to the mirror array.  The steps required to deliver a complete heliostat field are also detailed from heliostat installation, commissioning, and O&M culminating in a comprehensive cost model capturing the heliostat’s full lifecycle cost.

Project Lead:
Kyle Kattke (Solar Dynamics)

Status: 

• Solar Dynamics has developed a conceptual on-site assembly line, and this will be refined by 3 rd party automated assembly vendor (contract placed in July 2024).
Read more in the  Featured Project Archive