A review of nonimaging solar concentrators for stationary and passive tracking applications

Srikanth Madala and Robert F. Boehm

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2017, vol. 71, issue C, 309-322

Abstract: The solar energy research community has realized the redundancy of image-forming while collecting/concentrating solar energy with the discovery of the nonimaging type radiation collection mechanism in 1965. Since then, various nonimaging concentration mechanisms have proven their superior collection efficiency over their imaging counter-parts. The feasibility of using nonimaging concentrators successfully for stationary applications has rekindled interest in them. The economic benefits are appealing owing to the elimination of tracking costs (installation, operation & maintenance and auxiliary energy). This paper is an exhaustive review of the available nonimaging concentrating mechanisms with stationary applications in mind. This paper also explores the idea of coupling nonimaging concentrators with passive solar tracking mechanism.

Keywords: Solar concentrators; Nonimaging optics; CPC; Compound parabolic concentrator; V-trough; Polygonal trough; Concentration ratio; Non-tracking solar concentrators; Stationary solar concentrators; CHC; CEC; Compound hyperbolic concentrators; Compound elliptical concentrators; Nonimaging Fresnel lenses; Dielectric compound parabolic concentrators; DCPC; Trumpet-shaped concentrators (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (13)

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DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2016.12.058

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