A Comprehensive Methodology for Calculating Optical Efficiency and Corresponding Heat Flux in Concentrated Solar Power System

In the realm of concentrated solar power (CSP) technology, solar power tower (SPT) systems present a highly economical solution for storing and transforming solar energy into electrical power. Integral components of these solar tower power generation systems are the heliostat field and the receiver. Extensive research has been conducted on the layout of the heliostat field and the receiver in the existing scholarly literature. Nevertheless, given the interdependence between the heliostat field and the receiver, the computation of heat flux that aligns with the optical efficiency of both the receiver and the heliostat field remains largely underexplored. This paper presents a comprehensive, one-stop calculation methodology, leveraging Python, which bridges the gap from the optical efficiency of the heliostat field to the heat flux received at the tower photothermal power station's receiver. Notably, the computation of the optical efficiency for an extensive heliostat field comprising 4550 heliostats is accomplished in merely 0.294 seconds, with the subsequent results seamlessly integrated into the heat flux calculations pertaining to the receiver.