A carbon dioxide collection system having a release enclosure, a capture structure, and a chimney is disclosed. The release enclosure includes a sorbent regeneration system. The capture structure includes a sorbent material, and is movable between collection and release configurations. The chimney is shaped such that an airflow upward through the chimney is created. The chimney is positioned above the release enclosure such that the airflow passes through the capture structure while in the collection configuration. The collection configuration includes the capture structure being elevated above the release enclosure so the sorbent material is exposed to the airflow generated by the chimney, allowing the sorbent material to capture CO.sub.2 from the airflow. The release configuration includes the capture structure being sufficiently enclosed inside the release enclosure that the sorbent regeneration system may operate on the sorbent material to release CO.sub.2 collected by the capture structure to form an enriched fluid.

A material may be included in a cooling film or cooling panel to achieve cooling even under direct solar irradiation. The material includes one or more constituent materials and an outer surface configured to interact thermally with the atmosphere and with solar radiation. The material exhibits an emissivity of at least 0.8 in spectral range of 5 μm to 15 μm, an ultraviolet reflectivity of at least 0.5 in the spectral range of 275 nm to 375 nm, an ultraviolet absorptivity of at least 0.75 in the spectral range of 275 nm to 375 nm, or a combination thereof. A cooling film, or cooling panel, may be affixed to an exterior surface of a vehicle, structure, or system to provide cooling even under direct solar irradiance.

A material may be included in a cooling film or cooling panel to achieve cooling even under direct solar irradiation. The material includes one or more constituent materials and an outer surface configured to interact thermally with the atmosphere and with solar radiation. The material exhibits an emissivity of at least 0.8 in spectral range of 5 μm to 15 μm, an ultraviolet reflectivity of at least 0.5 in the spectral range of 275 nm to 375 nm, an ultraviolet absorptivity of at least 0.75 in the spectral range of 275 nm to 375 nm, or a combination thereof. A cooling film, or cooling panel, may be affixed to an exterior surface of a vehicle, structure, or system to provide cooling even under direct solar irradiance.

Systems and methods for radiative cooling and heating are provided. For example, systems for radiative cooling can include a top layer including one or more polymers, where the top layer has high emissivity in at least a portion of the thermal spectrum and an electromagnetic extinction coefficient of approximately zero, absorptivity of approximately zero, and high transmittance in at least a portion of the solar spectrum, and further include a reflective layer including one or more metals, where the reflective layer has high reflectivity in at least a portion of the solar spectrum.

Systems and methods for radiative cooling and heating are provided. For example, systems for radiative cooling can include a top layer including one or more polymers, where the top layer has high emissivity in at least a portion of the thermal spectrum and an electromagnetic extinction coefficient of approximately zero, absorptivity of approximately zero, and high transmittance in at least a portion of the solar spectrum, and further include a reflective layer including one or more metals, where the reflective layer has high reflectivity in at least a portion of the solar spectrum.

An air receiver for use in a solar power plant receives sunlight from a plurality of heliostats focused on the air receiver via an aperture of the receiver to heat air in the cavity of the receiver. The heated air is directed out of the receiver via one or more output ports in fluid communication with the cavity. A solar power tower can include one or more receivers (e.g., oriented in different directions) and have outflow conduit(s) in fluid communication with the output ports. The outflow conduit(s) receive heated air from the one or more receivers and direct it toward one or both of a hot thermal storage tank and a heat utilization module (e.g., for use in generating electricity or facilitating an industrial process, such as a chemical reaction).

An air receiver for use in a solar power plant receives sunlight from a plurality of heliostats focused on the air receiver via an aperture of the receiver to heat air in the cavity of the receiver. The heated air is directed out of the receiver via one or more output ports in fluid communication with the cavity. A solar power tower can include one or more receivers (e.g., oriented in different directions) and have outflow conduit(s) in fluid communication with the output ports. The outflow conduit(s) receive heated air from the one or more receivers and direct it toward one or both of a hot thermal storage tank and a heat utilization module (e.g., for use in generating electricity or facilitating an industrial process, such as a chemical reaction).

The receiver according to the invention is provided with the heating area for heating a heat-transporting medium, which has an optical opening for sunlight, an absorber absorbing the sunlight arranged within the path of the incidental sunlight and with a transport arrangement for the transport of the medium through the heating area, wherein the absorber is designed as a blackbody radiation arrangement with reduced convection and the transport arrangement for the transport of a gas is designed as a heat-transporting medium. By means of this, the receiver can be designed in a simpler and more reliable manner.

The invention subject to the application is related to a solar chimney configuration that is used to produce electrical energy from solar energy using a thermal method; by means of the tripartite chimney system used in the embodiment of the invention the air flows transferred by both the updraft and the downdraft chimneys are utilized, and as a result a high yield of energy is obtained via the vertical turbines that have been positioned at the entrances of the chimneys.

The invention subject to the application is related to a solar chimney configuration that is used to produce electrical energy from solar energy using a thermal method; by means of the tripartite chimney system used in the embodiment of the invention the air flows transferred by both the updraft and the downdraft chimneys are utilized, and as a result a high yield of energy is obtained via the vertical turbines that have been positioned at the entrances of the chimneys.