Techno-Economic Analysis of Beam-Down Solar Tower Secondary Reflectors

Abstract

Beam-down solar towers are presented as an alternative to conventional solar towers that allow modular design, easily adaptable to industrial environments. Secondary reflectors are a key component in this type of configuration, due to the high concentration of radiation received from the solar field. The results of a technical and economic study of new secondary reflectors, based on a polished stainless-steel substrate with silver PVD coating and a system of protective layers, are presented and compared with aluminum reflectors, currently used in such configurations. For this, twelve different designs, grouped in three cases are simulated using ray tracing and finite elements. The results show that the steel reflectors reach lower temperatures compared to aluminum reflectors, allowing for greater durability. Additionally, the optical efficiency of the plant was determined, and it was estimated that steel reflectors can reduce the LCOH of the plant by approximately 3.5%.