Design and Annual Performance Assessment of A Line-Focus Fresnel Lens Solar Collector Under Local Solar Conditions

Abstract

A large share of global energy demand is the heat demand. In Türkiye, a significant portion of this demand originates from low and medium-temperature industrial applications. For reducing CO2 emissions, it is important to use solar thermal systems to meet the industrial heat demand as much as possible. However, the high installation costs of traditional concentrated solar thermal systems limit their adoption in industrial applications. To address this challenge, this study develops a cylindrical Fresnel lens solar collector, which offers a cost-effective, low-carbon alternative for industrial heat applications below 250°C. For this purpose, a coupled optical-thermal modeling framework which combines wavelength-dependent ray tracing with receiver heat-loss analysis and annual simulations based on typical meteorological year data is employed. The developed system is then evaluated for different provinces in Türkiye. Under normal incidence, the collector achieves an optical efficiency of 49.57% and a geometric concentration ratio of 14.43. Annual performance results indicate that an 8 m collector array with a 330 L storage tank can reach operating temperatures of up to 180°C under representative summer conditions.