A Review on Solar Concentrators with Multi-surface and Multi-element Combinations

Abstract

Solar concentrator always plays an important role in solar energy collection as it could enhance the energy density effectively. Various structures of solar concentrators have been researched in recent years, among which multi-surface (MS) and multi-element (ME) combinations are the two typical structures. MS concentrator is an improved structure for single surface concentrator. It is usually designed to increase the acceptance angle, enhance the light intercepting efficiency, homogenize the energy distribution, etc. ME concentrator is generally consist of two or more optical elements, in which MS concentrators are usually used as assistant optical components. ME concentrator always has larger tolerance on tracking error so that it is much easier to track the sun. It could be applied in high power concentration. The combination on optical elements of MS and ME solar concentrators was diagramed and theirs advantages and disadvantages were evaluated. Nowadays, solar applications are becoming more and more diverse and concomitantly, the researching methods are also improving. The computer-aided methods including numerical computation and optical simulation are the dominant method in nowadays, which makes it easier to analyze various structures of solar concentrators and their complex applications. Besides, solar applications are not limited in CT and CPV, but in many other fields such as solar daylighting, solar-pumped laser, solar cooling, solar desalination etc. It has been believed that more and more innovative designs on solar concentrator will be proposed in the future.

Numerical Study of Heat Transfer Enhancement in A Solar Tower Power Receiver, through the Introduction of Internal Fins

“…Solar energy has drawn the attention in a wide variety of fields, as energy derived from sun rays is not only inexhaustible, but also environmentally friendly [1]. During the last decade, the emphasis on central receiver systems (CRS) can be attributed to the drastic increase in the price of fossil fuels, and the detrimental environmental effects associated to their burning.…”

“…During the last decade, the emphasis on central receiver systems (CRS) can be attributed to the drastic increase in the price of fossil fuels, and the detrimental environmental effects associated to their burning. Among several choices available, solar power tower energy is highly favoured, for meeting the constantly growing demand for energy [2].…”

POF-Based Solar Concentrators Incorporating Dyes and Europium Chelates

“…Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) are devices that employ doped planar or cylindrical waveguides to harvest and concentrate direct and diffuse sunlight without the need for any tracking system [1]. Nowadays, LSCs are not only seen as a complement of photovoltaic systems employed to reduce the necessary area of solar cells and, thus, their cost, but also as versatile devices whose capacity of concentrating light can be utilized for diverse applications, such as optical sensors or chemical reactors [2].…”

Numerical and experimental study of laboratory and full-scale prototypes of the novel solar multi-surface air collector with double-receiver tubes integrated into a greenhouse heating system

“…B. et al, 2018). Without such the sun-tracking system, the annual and daily average efficiency of these collectors will be relatively low, which in turn negatively affects the economy and practicability of their application (Ma et al, 2019). Acuna et al (2017) developed a compound parabolic concentrator, which uses a single concentric tube as an absorber.…”