Energy Performance Modelling of Stationary and Quasi-Stationary Solar Concentrators Based on Reverse Ray-Tracing

The yearly energy collection efficiency of stationary and quasi-stationary (seasonally tilted) solar concentrators can be evaluated using reverse ray-tracing, and a solar radiation model. In reverse ray-tracing, rays originating at the receiver of the concentrator are traced toward the surrounding hemisphere. The resulting specular optical efficiency of the concentrator is folded with the radiance predicted by a solar radiation model yielding a data set in W/(sr m²). The method allows for the evaluation of the absolute yearly energy collection. Concentrators may be optimized for location and tilt, requiring one-time ray-tracing of the optical system, thus significantly reducing simulation time. Only the radiation model must be executed for each change of tilt. Automatically, only possible solar incidence is considered. The analysis is performed for a novel micro-structured concentrator, for the showcase location of Hawaii