We describe the design of a large-scale thermal desalination demonstrator unit for use in arid locations with a medium-to-high DNI. Most of thermal energy is provided by a conventional parabolic trough field, in the case ...

Global environmental and sustainability issues have led to a growth in interest in oxide based thermoelectric materials. Sodium cobalt oxide, which presents low toxicity, is one of the most promising p-type thermoelectric ...

The proper optical characterization of solar reflector materials is a challenging task. Although several commercial instruments exist to measure reflectance, they have been developed for other applications and often do not ...

Concentrating solar power systems currently have a high capital cost when compared with other energy generating systems. The solar energy is captured in the form of thermal energy rather than directly electrical, which ...

We discuss the creation of an Integrated Knowledge Centre, a unique collaboration between academia and industry, which is delivering to UK industry 'disruptive' technologies based on ultra precision engineering. The ...

Energy which is vital in the economic and social growth of any country is facing increased demand because of technological and industrial developments in the world. Most of the energy supplied globally is being generated ...

In power tower systems, the heliostat field is one of the essential subsystems in the plant due to its significant contribution to the plant’s overall power losses and total plant investment cost. The design and optimisation ...

Concentrating solar power systems currently have a high capital cost when compared with other energy generating systems. The solar energy is captured in the form of thermal energy rather than direct electrical, which is ...

This paper compares the two most common reflectometers used to assess the specular reflectance of back-silvered glass mirrors for Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) applications, namely the Device and Services (D&S) 15R-USB ...

The severe soiling of reflectors deployed in arid and semi arid locations decreases their reflectance and drives down the yield of the concentrating solar power (CSP) plants. To alleviate this issue, various sets of methods ...