Irfan Younas, Muhammad Zahoor and Saad Ul Haq
Keywords: Concentrated solar power, solar tower, linear fresnel reflectors, stirling engine technology.
Abstract: The world is undergoing significant changes both technologically and socially. Societies have witnessed growth unparallel in history over the past century. This growth world-over has been at the expense of ever increasing demand on energy; this demand is not showing any sign of abating. However the world’s energy resources are depleting at a very fast rate, particularly fossil fuels. Solar energy is a renewable energy source that can be used to generate energy using heat engines. In this work we outline an innovative approach to generate electricity using a combination of existing technologies such as the solar tower, Fresnel reflectors and Stirling engines. It is proposed to erect a domestic solar tower that has embedded Stirling engines for power production. The UAE has vast amount of solar irradiation which on yearly average is about 400 - 500 Watts/m2. Used intelligently, with carefully deployed Linear Fresnel reflectors, this technology can deliver electricity to far flung off-grid locations as well as feed into domestic electricity grid.
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