Design of A Winch-Actuated Heliostat

This study addresses the challenge of reducing costs in concentrated solar power (CSP) systems by developing a novel winch-actuated heliostat design. Building upon previous cable-actuated designs, the proposed heliostat utilises steel cables attached to the reflective surface frame, with a worm gear set to decrease torque demands. Through computer-aided design, prototype development, and wind load calculations, the research demonstrates the potential of this design to significantly reduce heliostat costs while maintaining the required tracking accuracy of 1 mrad. This innovation contributes to efforts to achieve the U.S. Department of Energy's 2030 cost target of $ 50/m² for solar fields, potentially advancing the competitiveness of CSP technology.