LINE-FOCUS CONCENTRATING SOLAR THERMAL TECHNOLOGIES UNIT

Responsible: Diego-César Alarcón-Padilla
diego.alarcon@psa.es

The Medium-Concetration Solar systems group is part of the Concentrating Solar Systems Unit of the Plataforma Solar de Almería. The activities carried out by the researchers and technicians can be included in some of the following areas of work: 

• Research, development and/or evaluation of line-focus solar collectors (parabolic troughs and linear Fresnel concentrators) and their components.
• Research, development and/or evaluation of thermal applications in the temperature range 120 to 500°C (electricity generation or process heat) with line-focus solar collectors.
• New heat transfer fluids for line-focus collectors (direct steam generation, pressurized gases, and alternative fluids).

The activities are carried out in the frame of R+D national or international projects with public funding or by mean of R+D contracts and collaboration agreements with private entities for the development and/or evaluation of components, testing methodologies, prototypes design, etc.
The members of this research group collaborate actively in national and international standardization committees setting standards for solar thermal concentrating systems.