Abstract
Solar concentrators can be used for medium temperature (80–250°C) thermal applications for replacement of fossil fuels. The acceptance of any technology is driven by both the technical features and the economic benefits. Economic benefits are also governed by the performance and the investment requirement. A model is developed for estimation of market acceptance of a solar concentrator based on economics. This model is illustrated for two commercially offered solar concentrators in India, namely, fixed focus 16m2 Scheffler concentrator and moving focus 160m2 ARUN concentrator with Fresnel arrangement of reflectors. Payback periods for the two concentrators are estimated for the same operating conditions and acceptance of each is estimated. The effect of government support on acceptance is also studied. The adoption potential of Scheffler solar concentrator is 8% under present conditions which can be improved to 38% with government support while for ARUN, it can be improved from 1% to 11% with government support. The model can be used to identify the effect of government support and conventional fuel costs on the potential adoption of any solar concentrator. In the model, micro-level technology factors and macro-level market effects and trends are considered for evaluation of the adoption potential of a solar concentrator type.
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