Panel Location Optimizations for Concentrated Solar Power Tower Systems

Abstract

Concentrated solar power (CSP) allows for the harnessing of the sun’s heat and light for energy. Although it is less common than the other primary method of harnessing solar power, the photovoltaic panel, despite being underutilized, CSP has advantages over solar panels, such as simpler and cheaper energy storage during the night with similar efficiency. The benefits of CSP stem from its ability to reflect a broader range of light wavelengths, as opposed to solar panels that only absorb visible light. This is because solar panels that utilize shorter wavelengths are costly, but mirrors usable for CSP already have another market, thus making them affordable and easy to produce. Additionally, CSP can be insulated easily, minimizing power losses from heat dissipation to under 1%.

CSP currently has a global installed capacity of only 6.8 Gigawatts¹ versus over 710 Gigawatts for solar panels.² This paper introduces the basic optical physics behind CSP, such as light’s wave-particle duality and the concept of étendue. Then, this work will model the sun’s movement over the course of a year, create equations for constant light reflection onto a specific point with this model, and then simulate the best locations for flux transmission.

Key findings of this paper are that panels in the first and third quadrants of a cartesian plane transmit the most amount of light flux. Additionally, ignoring light diffusion effects of the mirrors themselves, relative to a central tower, the further towers have higher performance. This is hypothesized to be due to the projections of the actual angle of the mirror allowing for a larger surface area from the sun’s point of view, therefore transmitting more flux. Future simulation work should include the effects of light diffusion on the panels and expand the grid until placing any more mirrors adds no benefit.