Solar power collection and container volume ratio

Three different types of concentrating solar collectors have been described and compared: heliostat field collectors, parabolic dish collectors and parabolic trough collectors.

Solar collectors need to have good optical performance (absorbing as much heat as possible), whilst the thermal storage subsystems require high thermal storage density (small volume and low construction cost), excellent heat transfer rate (absorb and release heat at the required speed) and good long-term durability, .

Various types of solar collectors are reviewed and discussed, including both non-concentrating collectors (low temperature applications) and concentrating collectors (high temperature applications). These are studied in terms of optical optimisation, heat loss reduction, heat recuperation enhancement and different sun-tracking mechanisms.

Said another way, with a fixed amount of solar PV (if you are land-constrained, for example), you can provide more firm capacity with the same amount of storage if you are willing to charge from the grid sometimes [see Figure 1]. Figure 1. Solar capacity, in MW, required to create a 100 MW renewable peaker.

Among non-concentrating collectors, the PVT solar collectors show the best overall performance. Sun-tracking concentrating solar collectors have also been examined, in terms of optical optimisation, heat loss reduction, heat recuperation enhancement, different sun-tracking mechanisms.

The key to optimally sizing the storage system probabilistically is understanding the tradeoff between marginal cost of additional solar or storage and the penalty for being unavailable to meet a peak in a rare situation.