Simulation of incident solar power input to fixed target of central receiver system in Malaysia

This paper presents the design procedure of 3 dual-axis heliostat units located in Ipoh, Malaysia (latitude 4.34°N). Hourly sun position during day was estimated using a mathematical model that has been developed to calculate the cosine efficiency distribution for heliostat field layout design. The final layout of the heliostat field is designed by varying the tower height and the ground distance of the concerned heliostats and then evaluating the cosine efficiency of the heliostat field in terms of feasibility and workability due to land, material, and cost limitations. The total incident solar power to a fixed target on the tower was simulated for an entire year using TRNSYS software. The simulation outputs indicate that the heliostat field delivers 7.58 kW as peak value in December 28^th where the total reflective area is 9 m². The design specifications shall be used to build a solar power tower testing facility and the simulation results are required to approximate the power input to the receiver system for sizing purpose in the future.