Solar technology assessment project. Volume 9: Heliostat systems: Technical and economic assessment

An extensive review of the literature is provided on heliostat central receiver systems including subsystem design and research experiments, full scale system designs, assessments, evaluations, rankings, application and marketing studies, and heliostat manufacturing studies. The current status of heliostat system development is reviewed and assessed. Recent design reports are examined, and expected economic and performance improvements are reported. Recommendations are made for the role that government can play in heliostat systems development, and for state and federal policies for development of solar commercialization and the formation of heating utilities.