Error sources introduced into mirror tracking systems, arising from component limitations, construction and placement of the reflectors, and the discrete motion of the tracking system itself, are examined. The main mechanisms contributing to these sources are identified and modeled. The effect of these optical and geometrical errors is numerically simulated using a ray-tracing code and their relative significance is assessed.

Topics
Concentrated solar power, Concentrating collectors, Solar collectors, Rotational dynamics, Heliostats, Computer graphics, Tracking devices, Ideal surface, Energy flux, Gaussian processes
© 2012 American Institute of Physics.
2012
American Institute of Physics
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