CHAPTER - 4

SOLAR THERMO-MECHANICAL POWER

4.1 INTRODUCTION

Availability of cheap power is an index of

technological advancement and standard of living of a
country. Conversion of solar energy into mechanical power
or electrical power has been a subject of research for
nearly last three centuries. Most of the early research
conducted on solar mechanical power generation was for small
power generation and was abandoned not due to technological
reasons but more due to economically mor~ viable and cost-
effective power options. It is hoped that solar generated
power will play a significant role by the end of this
century. There are several options of converting solar
energy into electrical energy but the main ones are shown in
Figure 4.1 The first option is the direct conversion of
solar energy into electricity and the direct conversion can
be done mainly by the following four methods:
1. Photovoltaic
2. Photogalvanic
3. Photoemissive
4. Photomagnetic
The direct conversion is not practically adopted for
commercial purposes for large power demands due to high cost
of cells. Thermal energy obtained from solar energy can
also be directly converted into electricity by the following
methods:
1. Thermoelectric
2• Thermionic
3. Ferroelectricity
4. Magnetohydrodynamics
5. Electrogasdynamics
The conversion efficiency of all the above methods is
generally very low and therefore the system is not cost
effective.
There is yet another very important way of converting
solar energy into electricity which is known as
thermodynamic way in which solar energy is converted into
thermal energy; thermal energy into shaft work through heat
engines based on the principle of either Rankine cycle,
Stirling cycle, or Brayton cycle; and shaft work (mechanical
energy) into electricity using alternator. In this chapter
236

H. P. Garg, Advances in Solar Energy Technology

© D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht, Holland 1987
SOLAR THERMO-MECHANICAL POWER 237

DIRECT CONVERSION
1 Photovoltaic
2.Photo¢ m issiv¢
3.Photogalvanic
4.Photomagn¢tic

THERMAL ENERGY
1 Thermo¢lectric
2 Thermionic
3 Ferroelactricity
4 Magn¢tohydrodynamics
5 Electrogasdynomics.

FIG.4.1 FEW SCHEMES OF CONVERTING SOLAR ENERGY INTO

ELECTRICITY

only the thermodynamic way of converting solar energy into

mechanical energy or electrical energy will be discussed.
A solar thermal power system mainly consists of a solar
energy collector field, some kind of fossil fuel combustor
(auxiliary system), a fluid flow distribution system,
some kind of suitable thermal energy storage device, a heat
engine, electric generator, and a control system as shown in
figure 4.2 Amongst the many available systems, the two
generic type of systems, the central receiver thermal
electric power system and the distributed solar thermal
electric power system are considered suitable because of
their comparatively high efficiency and cost effectiven~ss.
In the central receiver concept large arrays of sun-tracking
mirrors known as heliostats reflect the solar flux on to the
central receiver boiler at the top of the tower. Here
concentration ratios of the order of 1000 are used and
turbine (steam type) operates at about 600°C. In the