Most people have seen solar photovoltaic panels mounted on rooftops or lined up across sunny fields, but fewer people are as familiar with concentrating solar power (CSP). This form of solar power uses mirrors to concentrate sunlight onto a receiver filled with fluid. The sunlight heats the fluid, producing energy, which can be used to generate electricity. CSP technology can efficiently and inexpensively store some of that thermal energy, too, which means it can provide power even when the sun is not shining.
It makes sense to build CSP facilities in areas with abundant solar resources, like the American Southwest. However, these environments can also face turbulent, high-speed winds that put a lot of stress on the CSP facility’s mirrors and support structures—which can decrease efficiency and increase design and maintenance costs.
That is where three National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) postdoctoral researchers (or postdocs, for short) come in. As part of a two-year project supporting NREL’s CSP program, these postdocs are working hard to understand the impact of turbulent wind conditions on parabolic troughs—a type of CSP collector that uses a tube positioned along a curved, mirrored structure to collect sunlight.
Curved, mirrored devices called parabolic troughs reflect sunlight onto receiver tubes at the Nevada Solar One Facility. The thermal energy generated can be stored to provide solar power even when the sun is not shining. Photo by Ulrike Egerer, NREL
Working alongside established NREL researchers, the postdocs collect, assess, and model field measurements of wind conditions at the Nevada Solar One facility. Their findings will help the CSP community predict the impact of these conditions on CSP structures and performance and develop solutions for more resilient CSP facilities.
We sat down with these three postdocs to discuss the paths that led them to their current roles, find out what lessons they have learned from their time at NREL, learn about their passions beyond the lab, and get a glimpse of their visions for a greener future.
