Design of A Winch-Actuated Heliostat
SolarPACES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52825/solarpaces.v3i.2409Keywords:
Heliostat, Cable Actuation, Cost Reduction, Concentrating Solar PowerAbstract
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.
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References
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Copyright (c) 2025 Rorisang Lekholoane, Stephen Clark, Craig McGregor
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Accepted 2025-06-23
Published 2025-11-26