ConSolar

3. Technology:

1. The future central solar multi -megawatt power plants will be based on a unique concept, where a tower mounted hyperbolic mirror will reflect the initially produced solar beams issuing from a heliostat field, downwards to an advanced secondary concentrator (which will raise the radiation concentration to a few thousand suns) onto a proprietary collector, capable of converting it to hot air at 1300°c and 20 bars, suitable to drive a modern gas turbine, or a "standard" Combined Cycle power block. Since the solar energy is supplied directly to the topping end, the resulting efficiency and economy will be appreciably superior to any large solar power system being developed today anywhere. With the ensuing investment markedly reduced, the expected produced electricity cost could eventually match the cost of conventional power production in many parts of the world, without any subsidy, in a few years time.

With available natural gas the plant will be capable of operating at any time. With a future efficient phase change energy storage (also being developed), the same capability, though at a higher cost, could be realized at sites where natural gas is not economically available.
2. The smaller power facilities (of 100kW and less), which are being developed, are based on two different concepts:
1. Concentrator photo-voltaics equipped with a tracking dish, optical modulation & spectrum splitting, cooling apparatus, inverter and battery bank, and
2. Thermal conversion of concentrated solar radiation by a tracking dish, optical concentration, and the heat stored in a phase change energy storage, heat engine -generator,and possible coupling of advanced thermo -electric generator.

Both commercial systems will have the capability to operate day and night, with generated electricity, at a cost considerably less than with any other equivalent solar process.

3. The technological development of the two Space Platforms were aimed to utilize their self supporting energy systems, each platform intended to be generally based on one of the above mentioned technologies. Each will be tailored to cope with the different requirements, i.e. lighter, more expensive & efficient energy modules for the space applications, and heavier, less costly hardware for the terrestrial systems. These unique energy concepts were intended to solve the acute problem of long -term survival of such independent facilities in space.
4. The high power future commercial solar pumped lasers, will employ a variety of laser crystals and advanced components to deliver several hundred watt range of power, in a controlled laser beam, suited to the variety of application goals. The systems will generally involve a tracking dish, dedicated non - imaging optics & radiation concentrating devices and frequency divertors & multipliers. The systems will also include an electrically powered diode pumping apparatus to ensure a steady laser beam, with changing solar radiation conditions. The development program includes the performance of dedicated product application surveys.

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Aaron_Shohet@ibm.net