In one embodiment, a concentrated solar power system includes a solar tower, multiple solar receivers mounted to the solar tower at different vertical elevations, and a plurality of heliostats provided on the ground within a heliostat field, wherein each heliostat is configured to concentrate solar radiation on any of the solar receivers mounted to the solar tower.

A system is disclosed that utilizes renewable energy to generate high temperature, superheated steam for driving a prime mover, such as a steam turbine coupled to an electrical generator, and/or to deliver heat where only a portion of the renewable energy system needs to withstand a high temperature working fluid that is necessary to generate high temperature superheated steam.

Methods and apparatus, for generating electricity from airflow and thermal energy. In one aspect, an electricity generating apparatus includes a housing including a double-walled section containing a thermal salt to store heat and form a pressure chamber within the housing, a collector coupled with the housing and including two or more inlet channels configured to direct ambient air into the pressure chamber, and a nozzle coupled with the housing configured to direct a convection current of air into the pressure chamber, and a turbine including a rotor and a stator to generate electricity from air flow through the pressure chamber, the rotor having an aerodynamic rotor case and convergent blades and the stator having an aerodynamic stator case and divergent blades, and where the double-walled section containing the thermal salt surrounds at least a portion of the collector and surrounds a portion of the turbine.

The invention relates to a device comprising at least one vertical pump (3) and at least one associated turbine (4) for transporting, over a level difference, a heat-transfer fluid brought to a high temperature, wherein the device further comprises a device for mechanically coupling the turbine (4) with the pump (3), comprising a gearbox (21) with a gimbal coupling (41) located on the turbine (4) side, allowing the mechanical energy produced by the turbine (4) to be reused to actuate the pump (3).

A solar chemically recuperated gas turbine system includes an exhaust-gas reformer, a solar reformer and a gas turbine unit with a combustion chamber. The reaction outlet of the exhaust-gas reformer is connected to the inlet of the solar reformer, the flue gas side inlet of the exhaust-gas reformer is connected to the exhaust-gas outlet of the gas turbine. The solar reformer outlet is connected to the combustion chamber inlet. Combustion gas drives the gas turbine after fuel burns in the combustion chamber, and the exhaust gas enters the exhaust-gas reformer. Fuel and steam are mixed and enter the reaction side of the exhaust-gas reformer through a fuel inlet. A reforming reaction between the fuel and steam under heating of the exhaust gas generates syngas. A further reforming reaction occurs by absorbing concentrated solar energy after the syngas enters the solar reformer, and the reactant is provided to combustion chamber.

The invention relates to a method and to a steam power plant, wherein solar energy can be very flexibly and very efficiently coupled into the water steam circuit of the steam power plant.

A system for the generation of mechanical or electrical energy from heat energy, where increasing a height or pressure in a liquid chamber of the system containing a liquid increases an efficiency of the system up to a hundred percent or increases such efficiency until a critical temperature or pressure of the vapor (gas) is reached at the bottom of liquid chamber or in the boiler of the system depending upon the increment in height, pressure and the type of liquid used in the system. An increase in height of the system for such increased efficiency can be adjusted to a smaller height by maintaining a series of liquid and gas chambers where the vapor flows through the series of chambers or by adding pressure valves. The heat energy from high to low temperature sources can be convened to mechanical and electrical energy.

Solar thermal power generation equipment is equipped with a wind turbine, a compressor, a heat receiver that receives sunlight to heat a compressed medium from the compressor, a turbine driven by the compressed medium heated with the heat receiver, a power generator that performs power generation by driving of the turbine, a transmission mechanism that transmits the rotation of the wind turbine to the power generator, and a tower which supports these components. The wind turbine, the compressor, the turbine, and the power generator each constitute an array apparatus. The plurality of array apparatuses are arranged in a vertical direction.

A system is disclosed that utilizes renewable energy to generate high temperature, superheated steam for driving a prime mover, such as a steam turbine coupled to an electrical generator, and/or to deliver heat where only a portion of the renewable energy system needs to withstand a high temperature working fluid that is necessary to generate high temperature superheated steam.

A solar receiver includes a hollow body, which has a longitudinal axis (8.4), a wall (8) surrounding the longitudinal axis (8.4), an opening (9) disposed in the wall (8) for the entry of heat rays, and an end region opposite the opening (9). The wall (8) includes an outer wall (8.1), an inner wall (8.2), and a partition wall (8.3) disposed therebetween. The outer wall (8.1) and the partition wall (8.3) enclose an outer annular space (8.1.1). The inner wall (8.2) and the partition wall (8.3) enclose an inner annular space (8.2.1). The outer annular space (8.1.1) has, in the end region, an inlet (12) for a free-flowing medium. The two annular spaces (8.1.1, 8.2.1) are conductively connected to one another in the region of the opening (9), and the inner annular space (8.2.1) has an outlet (11) for a free-flowing medium in the end region.