New solar collectors are setting a new trend in concentrating solar power technology (CSP). “Ganned heliostats,” for the first time, could be an option in new CSP systems.
Skysun is a Bay Village, Ohio-based startup that developed a new design to help reduce the cost of CSP systems by over 30%.
GANGED HELIOSTAT SCIENCE
CSP technology uses mirrors to focus and reflect sunlight onto receivers which collect solar energy and transform it into heat. Mirrors (heliostats) require their motor, base, and foundation.
Skysun’s solar collector can reduce the cost of CSP by half through shared motors and supports. Other ganged-heliostat concepts were proposed in the past, but none have proven to be cost-competitive or viable.
SkySun and Sandia National Laboratories partnered through a $275,000 small business vouchers funded project by the U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative. Sandia stated that Skysun heliostats with ganged technology could be purchased for an average of $80/m 2. This is 33% less than the average price of conventional heliostats (120/m 2), and it’s close to the SunShot Initiative’s goal of lowering solar collector costs to $75/m 2.
PATH TO MARKET ADOPTION
Skysun had to prove that its technology was comparable in performance and more affordable. The company used a grant provided by Innovation Fund America to construct their prototype in a lab and then worked with Sandia on modeling and optimizing the system. Skysun and Sandia developed custom codes to optimize mirror placement to minimize shading caused by other mirrors in the system. This allows for a peak efficiency comparable to what’s currently being used. Skysun has shown that, so far, its solar collectors meet industry standards for accuracy with wind speeds up to 15 miles per hour.
Jim Clair, the founder of Skysun, believes he can leverage the results from Skysun’s collaboration with Sandia to find a strategic partner to help prepare this technology for adoption. Clair described Sandia as the “mecca of CSP” and said that Sandia’s assistance in demonstrating ganged-heliostats’ stability, performance, and cost would be crucial in showing potential partners the technology’s viability.
Learn more about the SunShot Initiative and tech-to-market program at DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.