The Microgrid collector uses linear Fresnel mirrors to focus sunlight on vacuum-jacketed absorbers – a very efficient way to collect solar energy. In the Hectare, Microgrid collectors are combined to make much larger collector arrays – 240 times larger.
The Hectare, like the Microgrid, has its accompanying heat storage. Storage is sized to store solar heat overnight – or even longer. Local utilities normally have difficulty using renewables: the energy comes at the wrong time. Energy is most needed during the 4 PM to 9 PM “peak” consumption period. Daytime solar or nighttime wind make energy for this evening period with expensive batteries. Focused Sun stores daytime heat for evening use with low-cost materials like concrete that have a 50 year life.
The Hectare has site-built storage, a large mass of concrete that's insulated from the outside. Through the concrete, heat transfer tubes connect to the hot oil pumped from the solar array. As the hot oil flows through these pipes, heat is transferred to the concrete, heating it to the temperatures needed by the turbine. The storage is made of ordinary materials: steel tub, steel piping, cement and insulation.
The Hectare has site-built storage, a large mass of concrete that's insulated from the outside. Through the concrete, heat transfer tubes connect to the hot oil pumped from the solar array. As the hot oil flows through these pipes, heat is transferred to the concrete, heating it to the temperatures needed by the turbine. The storage is made of ordinary materials: steel tub, steel piping, cement and insulation.
Hectare Site-built Heat Storage
The turbine is a condensing turbine that operates at the 300C temperature of the storage. These turbines are available from many suppliers in the India, China and the West since they are used for "combined cycle" units at many utility power plants.
Note that while we size the Hectare at 400 kW electricity output, smaller sizes can be made by reducing the size of the turbine, storage and solar array. For example, a 100 kW electric plant would use a 100 kW turbine, storage that's one-fourth the volume and a solar array that's also a quarter the size of the Hectare array (i.e., 50 m x 50 m).
Note that while we size the Hectare at 400 kW electricity output, smaller sizes can be made by reducing the size of the turbine, storage and solar array. For example, a 100 kW electric plant would use a 100 kW turbine, storage that's one-fourth the volume and a solar array that's also a quarter the size of the Hectare array (i.e., 50 m x 50 m).
Hectare Condensing Turbine made by many global suppliers