100 MWe solar energy conversion power plant design

The design configuration of a 100 MWe solar energy conversion power plant is presented, together with its projected performance characteristics. A concentrating heliostat with an optical performance falling between the classical parabolic cylinder and the parabola of rotation was selected as the baseline solar collector. The area concentration for the prototype is 1840 overall. The cavity configuration was chosen for the tower-mounted heat receiver because of its near-black-body absorption and its ease of insulation. The condenser will be air-cooled, and a single 100 MWe regenerative nonheat turbine-generator will be used. The thermal collection efficiencies are expected to range from 0.614 to 0.763. A specular reflectivity of 85% is expected to be attainable with current production glass laminated mirrors by using less tinted glass or by decreasing the thickness of the mirrored segment to 2 mm.