Goals study for technical development and economic evaluation of the compound parabolic concentrator concept for solar energy collector applications

The Argonne National Laboratories, contracted with Arthur D. Little, Inc. (ADL), to perform a 6 week goal study for the purpose of evaluating the technical applicability and the economic viability of the compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) concept for all solar energy applications except large central power plants. During this period, we studied the use of CPC units in a large number of residential, industrial, and commercial applications. The predicted performance of CPC augmented solar collectors was compared with other available solar collectors. Application of the CPC to on-site power generation using solar Rankine power generation techniques was studied in detail. Techniques and costs for fabricating CPC collectors were studied. Collectors with insulation and with full-surface reflectors were studied along with the use of CPC augmentation for evacuated receivers with selective surfaces. Manufacturing costs are compared with those reported by others. A qualitative comparison was made between the various classes of solar collectors that are either presently available or are expected to become available in the near future. Comparative energy costs for various collectors are discussed based upon the predicted performance and the estimated costs for manufacture. The problems of introducing the CPC, or other advanced technology type of solar collectors, into the U. S. construction and HVAC market are briefly discussed. (auth