1. Hovering Solar Concentrators A Low Cost Design for Large Scale Solar Power GenerationBy
Dr. Brian Glassman

2. Cost Per Installed Watt is Key
Investing in a Solar power system is a business decision which must be financially justified
Payback Time
Return on Investment
Total Cost
Maintenance /Replacement Cost
Being Green is nice, but it ultimately will not make solar popular as an alternative

3. Lower Cost Designs
To be adopted by large utility companies, solar must compete against electricity prices generated by gas, coal, and oil.
Current Solar Voltaic Cells are around
$2.5 per installed watt small quantities
New gas, coal, and oil electric plants are:
Coal $2.0 to $3.3 per installed watt
LNG $1 to $2 per installed watt
Oil Fill in

4. Solar Concentrators Photo Voltaic Concentrating Solar Cells Thin Film
Thick Film
Concentrating Photo Voltaic
Concentrating Solar Cells
Linear Concentrator Systems
Dish/Engine Systems
Power Tower Systems

5. Components of Solar Concentrator Designs
Dish/Engine Systems
Individual Sterling Engine (Collector)
Mirror’s Supporting Structure
Support Structure for Collector
Individual Mirrors
Rotating Gimble & Heavy Motors
High efficiency, but expensive at $10 to $25 per installed watt The fundamental of the design will always make it expensive!

6. Dish/Engine Systems Multiple or Curved Mirror Significant cost item
Mirror Supporting Structure
Heavy Motors and Gimble 2 axis Significant cost
Individual Sterling Engine Collector Significant cost
Support Structure for Collector
Very Efficient, but to expensive to be considered for full scale power generation.

7. Power Towers (lots of design components)
Link
Single Large Solar Collector
Large Expensive Tower
Expensive Steam Generator
Mirror Support Structure
Motors & Gimbles
One large investment ($0.8 to 1.4 billion) , highly efficient, but the number of components make it expensive!

8. Components of a Power Tower
Large tower & Collector (single large expense)
Expensive Steam E/Generator (single large expense)
Large Mirror Array
Mirror Support Structure
Heavy Motors & Gimbles
Power towers can greatly reduce installation cost by being placed next to an existing power plant and use that plants existing steam to electric generator

9. Solar Concentrators
Cheaper Mirror Support Structure
Cheaper Radiant Heat Concentrator
Simple Flat Mirrors
Simple Support Structure
Different Mirror Angles Require Multiple Motors
Getting better, but still many moving parts requiring motors

10. Solar Trough Arrays Mirror Support Structure Cheap Collector Tubes
Expensive Curved Mirrors
One Axis Gimble with Motors
Support Structure

11. 2 axis gimble with Motors
PV Arrays
Expensive PV panels
PV support Structure
2 axis gimble with Motors

12. Current Designs are Insufficient
All current design have significant cost elements inherent to their design
I.E. You can make them as cheap as possible, but they will still not break the $2 per watt barrier because of their base designs
A new type of design is needed!

13. Move the Collectors!
All designs assume the collector must stay stationary to the mirrors, but moving them makes the design cheaper!
Morning
Noon
Late Afternoon

14. GreenVineSolar’s Design
Collectors suspended by cables
Collectors
Suspension Cable
Angle of Light Rays
Fixed Mirror

15. GreenVineSolar’s Large Array (Called Hovering Solar)
Collectors suspended by grid of cables
Grid can translate and elevate

16. Components of Hovering Solar
Large tower & Collector
Expensive Steam Generator
Large Mirror Array
Mirror Support Structure
Heavy Motors & Gimbles
Light Motors to move collectors
Multiple or Curved Mirror
Mirror Supporting Structure
Rotating Motors and Gimble 2 axis
Individual Sterling Engine Collector
Support Structure for Collector

17. Components of the Hovering Solar Design
Solar collectors
Cables to suspend collectors
Support structure for cables
Motors to move cables & collectors
Flat Mirrors
Steam Turbine (if using Radiant heat collectors)
DC to AC converters (if using PV cells collectors)

18. Mirrors
Because the mirrors do not move they can be made out of cheaper materials
Aluminized sheet metal
Cheap glass mirrors
Cheap polycarbonate mirrors
Stretched aluminized fabrics

19. Collectors Different types of collectors can be used
Radiant heat collectors
Generates steam (phase change)
Heats gas or other fluid
Photo Voltaic
But one must be careful not to over heat PV cells.

20. Applications Utility companies Large Scale Power Generation
(100+ MW class)
Medium size power generation
(5 to 100 MW class)
Large factories with sufficient land
Small utility companies
Will not work well in:
Urban or City Environments
Areas of heavy snow fall or high wind

21. Utility Applications Supplement utility’s electrical production
Can use existing steam turbines

22. Contact Information
Currently Looking to License this technology to installers or researchers
Dr. Brian Glassman
All information of this presentation is copyrighted ( ) all rights reseved