Proceedings of ISEC2006 ASME International Solar Energy Conference July 8-13, 2006, Denver, CO ISEC2006-99078 ADVANCED PARABOLIC TROUGH FIELD TESTING – REAL-TIME DATA COLLECTION, ARCHIVING, AND ANALYSIS FOR THE SOLARGENIX ADVANCED PARABOLIC TROUGH Rick Hurt, Wooson Yim, Robert Boehm Center for Energy Research UNLV Box 454027 Las Vegas, NV 89154-4027 Mary Jane Hale National Renewable Energy Laboratory Golden, CO Randy Gee Solargenix Energy 13991 W. 54 th Ave. Arvada, CO 80002 ABSTRACT Solargenix Energy is currently constructing a 64-MWe parabolic trough solar plant in Eldorado Valley, Nevada, just south of Las Vegas. As part of the preparation for construction and operation of the new utility-scale solar plant, Solargenix has collaborated with UNLV and NREL to build a collector test row. The test row is serving as a platform for field testing advanced parabolic trough components before their large-scale deployment. The test row consists of two Solargenix Solar Collector Assemblies (SCAs); each SCA has 12 collector modules (space frames and mirrors). This facility has been used to field test new Solargenix designs for first and second generation collector space frames, advanced reflectors, advanced local controllers (AdLoCs), a hydraulic-based drive system, receiver support arms, low-cost injection-molded bearings, ball joints and collector support pylons. The test-row facility also has equipment for monitoring the following weather data: direct normal irradiance, dry bulb temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and precipitation. Data logging equipment is used to record and track weather data as well as SCA parameters. Site instrumentation is solar-powered (photovoltaics) and uses cellular technology to transmit data to a web-based data collection system. This paper describes construction of this facility, the installation of the data- collection system and some data collected to date. INTRODUCTION In cooperation with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Energy, Solargenix has been developing an advanced parabolic trough for utility-scale solar power plants. The first large solar power plant to be constructed by Solargenix will be a 64 MWe plant located in Eldorado Valley near Boulder City, Nevada. This project was initiated to test the advanced components prior to the installation of the 64 MWe plant and for the 1 MWe Arizona Public Service Saguaro Solar Trough Generating Station located in Redrock, Arizona. In collaboration with UNLV and as part of the work at Eldorado Valley, two Solar Collector Assemblies (SCAs) were erected, exclusive of the receiver tubes, so that mechanical testing could be completed, proper fit and function can be demonstrated, and installation methods can be verified and improved. Included in the equipment being tested at the site are Advanced Local Controllers (AdLoCs), which have been newly developed, to control the sun tracking of the parabolic troughs using a new hydraulic-based drive system. Receivers will be added at a later time so that the SCAs can also be tested for thermal performance. Figure 1. Artist conception of the 64 MW e solar trough plant in Eldorado Valley (Graphic from Solargenix). As part of the scope of work for the project, data logging instrumentation was needed to measure and record weather, solar irradiance, battery voltages, and tracking parameters of the SCAs. Because of the remote location of the test site and the absence of utilities, the instrumentation is solar powered and uses cellular technology to transmit the data to a web-based data collection system with real time capabilities. A website was developed to give access to the data and the real time 1 Copyright © 2006 by ASME