Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: The Design and Fabrication of a Lower Cost Heliostat Mirror System for Utilizing Solar Energy
EPA Grant Number: SU833166Title: The Design and Fabrication of a Lower Cost Heliostat Mirror System for Utilizing Solar Energy
Investigators: Ostergren, Warren , Williams, Katelyn , Green, Matthew , Das, Prithwish , Slingsby, Robert , Martinez, Theresita , Barnes, Timothy
Institution: New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
EPA Project Officer: Page, Angela
Phase: I
Project Period: August 30, 2006 through May 30, 2007
Project Amount: $9,970
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2006) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: P3 Challenge Area - Air Quality , Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development , P3 Awards , Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Objective:
A heliostat is a mirror based system which is used to continuously reflect sunlight onto a central receiver. The collected solar energy is then converted into electrical power. Currently, costs associated with the construction and maintenance of heliostats have proven prohibitive with respect to mainstream industry use. As such, it is the goal of this project to develop a lower-cost heliostat; yielding an alternative energy system that is less taxing on the environment than conventional fossil-fuel dependant methods, yet competitively priced. To achieve this, the student design team reviewed a number of concepts, including those defined by prior research groups and the team itself. Work, funded by the P3 grant, included a more thorough analysis of the structural components and the control system, creation of a scaled prototype, and measurements based upon the response of the prototype. This data will be used to move the project into the final design stage, including material selection, detailed structural schematics, and a fully functional control system. In Phase II, the team will be able to accurately estimate a life-cycle cost; including initial capital, operation and maintenance, and part replacement. This cost estimate is a fundamental goal of the team and will ultimately determine the feasibility of the design’s insertion into the modern energy industry. At the completion of the project, important steps will have been made towards the adoption of new methods and technologies. These steps will inevitably aid in the conservation of an already taxed ecosystem, allowing the (non-destructive) continuation of human growth and development.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
By using more readily available resources, the team has created a heliostat design which is projected to be less costly than consumable fossil fuels and electricity for a life span of 25 years. The cost analysis was based on average consumption of natural gas and electricity for industrial setting and adjusted for a 10% inflation rate over the 25 year span. The cost of maintenance, part replacements, and end-of-life salvage values were also taken into account. Figure 1 presents the cost data for each individual year, while Figure 2 presents the total cost of both the heliostat and fossil fuels for the total 25 years.
Figure 1: Heliostat and Fossil Fuel Costs per Year
Figure 2: Total Life Cost of Heliostat and Fossil Fuel
Conclusions:
By revolutionizing the design of a likely alternative to fossil fuels or other energy sources, the New Mexico Tech Heliostat Team believes is can encourage the prosperity of the planet and its inhabitants. Reducing the production cost and encouraging a low lifetime maintenance cost would make heliostats a viable alternative to consumable resources, and because its power comes from the sun, its longevity as a power source is undisputed. Recent progress has proved itself promising and serves as significant motivation towards future work.
Proposed Phase II Objectives and Strategies: To properly finish the work on the heliostat design begun by the NMT Heliostat Design Team, the design must be verified, the overall project evaluated and, finally, implemented on a larger scale. With the system properly verified, the design will become a technically viable option for implementation within the heliostat industry.
The final portion of Phase II would be the construction and implementation of (at least) three additional heliostat units. This will allow the team to finalize the only remaining aspect of the project not yet addressed: array systems control. With the technical verification of a single unit and economical analyses complete, a documented display of a working array would allow the team to market the new heliostat design as a viable product, ready for implementation within the mainstream energy industry.
The strategy for Phase II will be similar to that used for Phase I. A portion of the group will remain focused upon technical issues such as measurements and test implementation. The other section of the group will focus upon synthesis of test data and overall project analysis. This includes everything from the economical analysis of the design to producing weekly progress reports. The two factions of the team allow the group to focus upon more than one aspect of the project at once- moving the team towards project completion more quickly- while weekly meetings and progress reports tie the team together and up-to-date.
Supplemental Keywords:
Ecological effects, life-cycle analysis, alternatives, sustainable development, clean technologies, innovative technology, renewable, conservation, engineering, modeling, analytical, business, industry, Sustainable Industry/Business, Scientific Discipline, RFA, Pollution Prevention, Technology for Sustainable Environment, Sustainable Environment, Energy, Environmental Engineering, environmental sustainability, sustainable development, solar energy, alternative energy source,, RFA, Scientific Discipline, Sustainable Industry/Business, POLLUTION PREVENTION, Sustainable Environment, Energy, Technology for Sustainable Environment, Environmental Engineering, heliostatic mirror, sustainable development, environmental sustainability, solar energyRelevant Websites:
http://infohost.nmt.edu/~helio/ Exit
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.