Generating electricity using solar cells is simple, elegant and the cheapest way to generate electricity.
The one obvious problem, which antagonists point out (ad-nauseum), is that it doesn’t work after dark. Obviously, the sun doesn’t shine at night so how do we continue to supply energy?
Using heat from the sun, we can store some of the heat collected to generate electricity overnight.
Stored solar thermal electricity generation is exactly the application that Capricorn Power’s Barton Heat Engine was designed for. Our engine is optimised to generate electricity efficiently – at the temperatures which can be achieved economically with solar concentrators.
The combination of solar heat, heat storage, and our generator provides 100% renewable electricity on demand, without the need for fuel or batteries.
Our system also creates a stable electricity supply, resulting from both the mechanical inertia of the generator and the thermal inertia of the heat store.
The heat storage medium isn’t relying on rare salts, specialty chemicals, or expensive batteries either – it can be made from widely available cheap bulk materials such as metal, rocks, or waste concrete. These solids don’t readily vaporise, burn, or introduce hazardous working fluids in the heat store as they are non-volatile, non-flammable, and non-toxic materials.
Finally, the engine outputs heat at around 250°C, which can be used for processing minerals, agricultural crops, cooking and pasteurising, and industrial applications.
