Design and fabrication of parabolic trough solar energy system

Pakistan is facing an acute and lingering energy crisis which is not only affecting the daily life of people but also hindering the overall development and progress of the country. In Pakistan, most of the power generation takes place through burning of fossil fuels and hydropower. Hydropower is renewable, clean, and cheaper. However, the high capital cast, and reliance on imported technology has hampered a steady progress in this field. Diversification of energy sources is indispensable for a sustainable progress in energy sector Renewable energy sources other than hydro sources such as solar, and wind are available in abundance in the country. Wind and solar energies seem to be very promising due to corresponding well developed technologies which can be easily supported by indigenous industries. Fortunately, Pakistan lies in the region where average daily radiation falling on horizontal surface ranges from 4.2 kWh/m²/d to 5.54 kWh/m²/d^[1] and it is considered ideal for solar thermal applications. Pakistan is slowly moving to use these renewable energies on smaller scale but on larger scale renewable power plants are yet to be materialized. This study is an effort to explore the working and effectiveness of parabolic trough solar energy system. Solar energy system is designed with four main components namely steam turbine, parabolic trough, heat exchanger and a condenser. The main intent in this research work was to produce steam with the help of parabolic trough system by utilizing solar energy and develop a proof of concept prototype to demonstrate that parabolic solar collectors can be used for power generation. It took approximately 45-55 minutes for 2 liters of water to boil within the receiver tube of the parabolic trough. The modeling, testing and fabrication of parabolic trough have shown convincingly that the solar energy can be utilized for power production.