Residential solar thermal power plant
A high-efficiency residential solar thermal power plant for economically generating power from solar-thermal energy, using a parabolic trough mirror having a longitudinal focal axis, for concentrating sunlight, a timer rotator for rotating the mirror about the focal and longitudinal rotation axis to follow the sun, and a heat collector surrounding a flow channel that preferably has an oblong cross-sectional shape with a major axis aligned with a longitudinal plane of symmetry of the parabolic trough mirror. The heat collector is coaxially positioned along the focal axis of said mirror to receive concentrated sunlight so that a working fluid is heated and provided for use through an outlet end of the heat collector.
1 - 12 . (canceled)
13 . A solar thermal power plant comprising:
a parabolic trough mirror having a longitudinal focal axis for concentrating sunlight therealong;
means for rotating said mirror about a longitudinal rotation axis to follow the sun; and
a heat collector comprising an elongated heating tube surrounding a flow channel coaxially positioned along the focal axis of said mirror to receive concentrated sunlight therefrom so that a working fluid in said heating tube is heated thereby and provided for use through an outlet end of said heating tube, wherein said heating tube is longer than said mirror and positioned to extend beyond each end of said mirror so that upon aligning the focal axis of the mirror in parallel with the earth's rotational axis all of the concentrated sunlight from the mirror is received by the heating tube over the course of a year without adjusting an incline angle of the focal axis to compensate for seasonal variations in sunlight angle of incidence.
14 . The solar thermal power plant of claim 13 ,
wherein said heat collector is positioned to extend beyond each end of said mirror by up to an amount substantially equal to the focal length of said mirror times tan (23.5 degrees).
15 - 51 . (canceled)