Solar Concentrator with Solar Stirling Engine

How An Organic Rankine Cycle Engine Works a With Solar Concentrator

The Organic Rankine Cycle is a thermodynamic cycle which converts heat into work. The heat is supplied externally to a closed loop, which usually uses water as working fluid.Simply put, the working fluid (usually water) is pumped into a boiler. While the fluid is in the boiler, an external heat source (Solar Concentrator) superheats the fluid.

The hot water vapor then expands to drive a turbine. Once past the turbine, the steam is condensed back into liquid and recycled back to the pump to start the cycle all over again.

In Organic Rankine Cycle applications, the thermal temperature required to produce electricity requires temperatures up to 305 C. The 9M solar concentrator with the High Temp Absorber (HTA) can be configured to produce the required temperatures to run the organic rankine cycle engine.

An Organic Rankine Cycle that produces 1MW of utility grade electrical power requires roughly 4 MW (4,034 kW) of solar thermal energy at 305 degrees celsius. A solar power plant will require 90 solar concentrator (solar dish) systems. The advantage of Organic Rankine Cycle engine is that it can utilize the heat from bio-mass and solar to maximize the energy production and produce electricity 24 hours / day.

In simple terms, the solar concentrator acts like a powerful solar heater, and the Organic Rankine Engine acts like the electricity maker connected to it. The concentrator collects and boosts the sun’s heat, and the ORC system efficiently turns that heat into usable electricity even at temperatures where normal steam systems would be less practical. Together, they form a clean and effective way to produce renewable energy from sunlight.

How An Organic Rankine Engine Operates?

An Organic Rankine Engine is a system that turns heat into electricity, even when the heat is not extremely hot. Most power plants use boiling water to make steam, but this system uses a special liquid that boils at much lower temperatures. Because of this, it can make electricity from heat that would normally be wasted, such as heat from factories, engines, hot water underground, or solar heaters.

First, heat is used to warm this special liquid until it turns into a gas. As the gas expands, it flows through a turbine, which is like a large fan with blades. The moving gas pushes the blades and makes the turbine spin. The turbine is connected to a generator, and when it spins, electricity is produced. This is the same basic idea used in many power plants, just with a different liquid and lower temperatures.

After the gas passes through the turbine, it is cooled in a condenser so it turns back into a liquid. A pump then sends the liquid back to the heating area so the process can begin again. This continuous cycle allows the Organic Rankine Engine to keep producing electricity as long as heat is supplied, making it a useful and efficient way to reuse energy that would otherwise be lost.

Stand-Alone Solar Concentrator System

For stand-alone HCPV (high-concentration photovoltaic) solar electricity applications, the heat is dissipated through a radiator and fan system (typically how a car engine is cooled).

Benefits of Using 9M Solar Concentrator With ORC

A 9 meter solar concentrator combined with an Organic Rankine Engine offers a high temperature, cost efficient, and flexible solution for renewable power generation.

By concentrating sunlight to produce working fluid temperatures above 270°C, it enables strong thermal performance while maintaining system efficiency. Its mechanical design allows deployment in locations where traditional solar thermal systems may struggle, and its scalability makes it suitable for both distributed generation and utility scale projects.

• Produces working fluid temperatures above 270°C to support efficient ORC operation

• Designed to deliver high thermal input optimized for Organic Rankine Engine systems

• Can be installed on uneven terrain, reducing land preparation requirements

• Achieves lower Levelized Cost of Electricity compared to parabolic trough systems

• Scalable from 1 MW to hundreds of MW, allowing alignment with existing transmission capacity

• Uses relatively low land area per megawatt deployed, improving overall project economics

Why Choose ORC over PV panels?

Choosing an Organic Rankine Cycle system paired with concentrated solar power over standard photovoltaic panels is mainly about reliability, flexibility, and continuous energy production rather than just peak daytime output. ORC systems convert stored heat into electricity, which allows power generation to continue long after the sun sets when thermal storage such as molten salt or concrete is used.

Because ORC turbines run on heat rather than sunlight directly, they can also operate using additional renewable sources like biomass or geothermal energy, making the system hybrid and far more resilient. While PV panels can be land efficient, they require large battery systems for night operation, whereas CSP with ORC integrates storage naturally within the thermal process.

•  Thermal storage in molten salt or concrete enables electricity generation day and night, not just during sunlight hours
• ORC systems can use multiple heat sources, including solar, biomass, and geothermal, improving reliability and utilization
• Continuous power output reduces dependence on expensive battery storage
• High energy density of thermal systems allows strong power production on relatively compact land areas
• Better suited for grid stability and base load style renewable generation than PV alone