Solar Dish Research Articles

Energetic, exergetic, exergoeconomic, and enviroeconomic analysis of solar dish-integrated water desalination system with various nanofluids

Global demand for freshwater is increasing due to population growth and water scarcity. Traditional desalination systems are characterized by their high energy consumption, resulting in low efficiency and elevated costs. It is crucial to explore sustainable and eco-friendly desalination system to address these problems. Present study explores the impact of Al2O3 and ZnO nanofluids on a solar dish integrated water desalination system (SWDS). Performance evaluation includes energy, exergy, economic, exergoeconomic, and enviroeconomic perspectives. Compared to SWDS with water, annual freshwater productivity increased by 20.13% (Al2O3) and 12.56% (ZnO). SWDS with Al2O3 nanofluid exhibited the highest energy and exergy efficiency of 20.76% and 4.32%, respectively. Energetic parameters revealed a minimum energy payback time of 0.91 years and a maximum energy production factor of 27.18 for SWDS with Al2O3 nanofluid. The lowest cost per liter (CPL) was US$0.050 for Al2O3 nanofluids, while the highest CPL was US$0.0547 for ZnO nanofluid. The maximum exergoeconomic parameter was 2.50 kWh/US$ for SWDS with Al2O3 nanofluid. SWDS with Al2O3 nanofluid demonstrated the highest net CO2 mitigation of 72.54 tonne, with corresponding carbon credits of US$2124.08 (energy) and US$423.92 (exergy). The Al2O3 nanofluid-based SWDS demonstrated superior performance in energy and exergy perspective. Furthermore, Al2O3 nanofluid-based SWDS showed enhanced cost-effectiveness and environmental sustainability when compared to water-based SWDS.

Optical characterization of a solar concentrating dish system

Solar dishes concentrate the quasi-collimated sun light towards a focal point. Typically, the optical characterization consists of experimental flux map measurements and Monte-Carlo ray-tracing (MCRT) simulations, which are fitted based on experimental data and serve for the prediction of the distribution of the irradiation in receivers or reactors. However, the MCRT simulations usually rely on idealized mirror geometries (i.e. parabolic mirrors), neglecting the actual dish geometry resulting from its construction method (such as petals, facets or segments). Thus, the parameter fitting might yield unrealistic parameters and local radiative flux peaks (“hot spots”), which are often experimentally detected behind the focal plane, cannot be predicted. Here, we characterized the 7m diameter solar dish at EPFL comprising 27 petals with a nominal focal length of 3.8 m and a rim angle of 50.3°. The measured peak concentration was 1781 suns and the received integrated solar power was 20.0 kW over an 18 cm diameter spot. We proposed an advanced geometry approach for the MCRT model considering the curvature of the dish, i.e. geometries mathematically described by a parabola with an exponent not equal, but close to 2. The advanced geometry approach was then applied for predicting experimentally measured flux distribution in focal and off-focus planes. The fitted reflectivities were 70% and 86% for the idealized and advanced geometry approach, respectively. The idealized geometry approach found an unrealistically low value whereas the advanced geometry approach’s value was within 1% of the manufacturer’s specification. The advanced geometry approach predicted a parabola exponent of 1.94, which emphasizes that the best geometry to describe the solar dish deviates from a perfect paraboloid. We conclude that MCRT models should consider non-perfect parabolic geometries for solar dishes in order to obtain more realistic values for the fitted parameters.

Annual performance evaluation of a hybrid concentrated solar–micro gas turbine based on off-design simulation

As the adoption of solar hybrid systems continues to rise due to their potential to compensate for the fluctuation of solar irradiation, it becomes imperative to accurately evaluate their performance, considering the variation of off-design conditions. This paper introduces a detailed analysis method for evaluating the annual performance of a solar-MGT system under transient boundary conditions for a whole-year operation range. A hybrid system of a micro gas turbine, recuperator, and solar dish is considered, and an off-design simulation model is developed and verified with available experimental results. Two different configurations for a recuperated cycle are considered, and simulations are conducted for a test case in Pretoria, SA. The results for Jun.21 and Dec.21 as low and high solar energy days are reported with more details to compare the configurations and demonstrate the effect of ambient temperature on the heat loss of the solar receiver and the overall performance of the system. The alternative configuration reduces heat loss with a lower temperature receiver but has higher fuel consumption compared to the conventional configuration. Operating strategies for different hours of operation from 1 h to 24 h per day are simulated for 365 days, based on real meteorological data, and compared with the operating in solar available hours. It is shown that the whole-year simulation of the system considering the variation of boundary conditions can change the estimation of fuel consumption by 25 %.

Design of a Solar Dish Receiver and Life Cycle Assessment of a Hot Water System

The energy sector is the main source of greenhouse gases, so it has the highest potential for improvement. The improvements can be achieved by generating energy from renewable sources. It is necessary to combine production from renewable sources with storage systems. Thermal energy storage using concentrated solar power systems is a promising technology for dispatchable renewable energy that can guarantee a stable energy supply even in remote areas without contributing to greenhouse gas emissions during operation. However, it must be emphasised that greenhouse gases and other impacts can occur during the production process of concentrating solar system components. This paper analyses the receiver design to produce thermal energy for the existing CSP dish plant at the Energy Center of the Politecnico di Torino. The plant is designed to produce electrical energy in the spring and summer periods. In addition to this energy production, the CSP can be adopted to produce thermal energy, through hot water, during the less favourable periods of the year in terms of global solar radiation. The surface heat flux is calculated in the first part of the analysis to obtain the maximum internal temperature in the receiver, which is 873.7 °C. This value is a constraint for the choice of material for the solar receiver. A life cycle assessment is performed to compare the emissions generated during the production of the main components of the CSP system with the emissions generated by the methane-fuelled water heater to produce the same amount of thermal energy. It can be concluded that the production of the main components of the CSP system results in lower greenhouse gas emissions than the operational phase of a conventional system. Given the assumptions made, the utilization of methane leads to the emission of approximately 12,240 kg of CO2, whereas the production of the CSP system results in emissions totalling 5332.8 kg of CO2 equivalent

Thermal performance analysis of a novel Conical-Cylindrical-Conical cavity receiver for a Scheffler concentrated solar system

The thermal efficiency of a receiver is a critical component of the point focusing concentrated solar system, significantly impacting the overall system efficiency. A thermal performance analysis of the developed novel Conical-Cylindrical-Conical cavity receiver is carried out for the enhancement of its efficiency. The analysis involves varying aspect ratios (0.8, 1, and 1.2) of the receiver utilizing Computational Fluid Dynamics with ANSYS (Fluent 2023R1) and the discrete ordinates modeling technique. The simulation results reveal a peak thermal efficiency of 80.9 % for the receiver at mass flow rate of 0.035 kg/s. The experimental validation is performed using a 16 m2 concentrator solar Scheffler dish under real outdoor conditions in a hilly terrain of India. The average percentage error between the experimental results and the Computational Fluid Dynamics model simulation, is found to be 0.52 %.The results of study highlights the significant impact of design and aspect ratio on the thermal efficiency of the cavity receiver. This study is the first investigation into the aspect ratio of the novel Conical-Cylindrical-Conical cavity receiver for point focusing concentrated solar system, providing valuable insights for further research and industrial applications worldwide.

Energy, exergy and economic (3E) analysis of solar thermal energy assisted cascade Rankine cycle for reverse osmosis

A novel cascade Rankine cycle is proposed for treating brackish groundwater using a reverse osmosis system. The cascade RO system is arranged in a loop with a steam Rankine cycle (SRC) at the top and an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) at the bottom to provide high recovery, electricity-free, and scalable options. The system comprises a solar Scheffler dish for heat input, steam turbine and expander for work output, evaporative condenser and ORC condenser for heat rejection, SRC pump, ORC pump and RO high-pressure pump for work input devices, and RO module for water desalination. This study evaluated the thermodynamic design of the system along with energy, exergy, and economic analyses performed by considering eight working fluids such as R245fa, HFO1336mzz(Z), R1225ye(Z), R1224yd(Z), R1233zd(E), R1243zf, R1234yf, and R1234ze(E). The highest overall efficiency was found 14.08% with R1234yf, and the highest RO permeate flow rate was found with R245fa, HFO1336mzz(Z), and R1233zd(E), which require the lowest mass flow rate of ORC working fluid. The highest exergy destruction was found in the solar collector and RO unit. The treated water cost is estimated to be 0.89–0.924 $/m3 of permeate water.

Experimental comparative analysis of solar system productivity and performance in water distillation: Solar stills vs. parabolic dish systems

This study aims to evaluate the practical suitability of two solar technologies, Solar Stills and Solar Parabolic Dishes, in meeting energy demands for various applications, including preparing distilled water and other applications. Through the analysis, solar still systems were found to be the preferred choice for distilled water production due to their ability to yield significant amounts of pure water through simple or advanced designs. Conversely, the results showed that solar parabolic dishes are more suitable for applications requiring higher temperatures, such as cooking, as they concentrate solar radiation into smaller focal points. This study presents essential information for efficient energy management in specific water treatment applications, assisting in the selection of appropriate solar technologies. The results showed that the Parabolic Dish Concentrator (PDC) achieved an impressive temperature of 96.5 °C. Nonetheless, even though these high temperatures were attained, the experiments did not lead to the production of distilled water. Based on the results, the thermal efficiency of the solar still was calculated at 5.6 % without modification and 9.4 % with the implemented modification. Conversely, the solar still's productivity witnessed a notable increase of around 66.6 % with a straightforward modification involving the incorporation of operational fans. Additionally, there was a substantial enhancement in efficiency, registering a remarkable rise of 67.8 %.

Installation and Performance Evaluation of a Solar Steam Cooking System for 1500 Students in the Hills– A Case Study

Community cooking is becoming costlier as the cost of cooking fuel is rising globally and impacting the environment by emitting greenhouse gasses which are responsible for global warming. India’s main cooking fuel is LPG which is being imported and is a depleting natural resource. The use of fossil fuels results in the emission of GHGs. This necessitates the harness of solar energy for community cooking. The campus receives daily horizontal solar radiation of 3.66-7.53 kWh/m2 which can be harnessed for cooking food. A solar steam cooking system consisting of 22 solar dishes has been installed at the university campus for 1500 students. This will generate heat of around 2.54 million Kcal/day and save LPG amounting to 33,600 kg/year while reducing the CO2 of 99,456 kg annually thereby mitigating climate change. Solar steam cooking will meet SDGs 7 and 13. The payback period for the solar steam cooking system will be 3 years. The cooking system meets Sustainable Development Goals7 & 13

Daily thermodynamic analysis of a solar dish-driven reheating organic Rankine cycle

Solar concentrating systems can play a critical role in the future for designing sustainable cities. The goal of this investigation is the energy analysis of a solar-driven power plant based on the solar dish collector, storage thermal tank and a reheating organic Rankine cycle. The present thermodynamic cycle is a more efficient choice compared to other similar designs due to the existence of a double expansion with an intermediate reheating. Also, the use of the solar dish collector enables efficient operation in medium and high temperatures. More specifically, this investigation is performed on dynamic conditions aiming to determine the unit?s performance on a usual summer day. The analysis is done with a dynamic model based on mathematical formulas which are inserted into Engineering Equation Solver. The simulation results proved that a collecting area of 500 m2 (50 modules) coupled with a storage tank of 5 m3 volume that feeds an Organic Rankine Cycle of 50 kWel nominal power leads to daily electricity production of 577 kWhel. The system efficiency is found to be 12.6%, the thermodynamic cycle efficiency 20.8% and the solar field thermal efficiency 60.8%. Therefore, it is obvious that the suggested unit leads to satisfying results, and it is a promising one for the design of sustainable renewably driven units in the future.

Numerical investigation to optimize the modified cavity receiver for enhancement of thermal performance of solar parabolic dish collector system

The concentrated parabolic dish collector (PDC) systems are widely utilized for the purpose of generating high-temperature heat by receiving and converting solar energy efficiently into thermal energy. Cavity receivers including spiral coils have a common use in PDC system for optimal thermal performance. Therefore, to enhance the thermal performance of a PDC system, the present study investigates different cavity receiver configurations, such as cylinder and conical shaped receivers with flat and spherical absorber surface as well as the effect of spiral coil arrangement. To identify the most optimal spirally coiled cavity receiver, the comparison is conducted based on outlet temperature, heat exchange rate, thermal efficiency, effectiveness, and thermal performance capability (TPC). The investigations were conducted using the ANSYS Fluent CFD simulation software package. The SolTrace software package was utilized to compute the maximum heat flux incident on the absorber surface of the receiver, and peak heat flux data was used as input parameter at the absorber surface of the receiver. Furthermore, to select the suitable working fluid in PDC system, different heat transfer fluids, such as Syltherm 800, Xceltherm 600, ParathermHR™ and water, respectively were studied. From the thermal analysis of various proposed receiver geometries, the receiver with conical shape and spherical absorber surface is more efficient over other configurations. It provides 50 % higher heat transfer rate thancylindrical receiver with flat absorber surface. Moreover, receiver's thermal performance could modestly be improved by modifying the spiral coil pitch (variable pitch). In terms of pumping power consumption, readily availability, low viscosity, and high specific heat, water is suggested as working fluid for receiver of PDC system.

Optical and thermal investigation of hyperbolic cavity receiver with secondary reflector for solar parabolic dish collector

A hyperbolic-shaped cavity-type receiver with a second stage reflection for a 40 m2 solar parabolic dish concentrator (PDC) is presented in this paper,along with optical and thermal modeling. The receiver geometry and the secondary reflector complete the hyperbolic geometrical shape of the present receiver. This study aims to estimate heat losses owing to natural convection and radiation under influential parameters associated with solar parabolic dish system. Optical modeling has been performed with verified model using ASAP® 2013 V1R1. The optical simulations have been carried out for varying receiver height (h1), height of the secondary (h2) and diameter-to-total height ratios (d/h) of 0.5, 1, and 1.5 while keeping the diameter of the plane aperture of the receiver (d) constant. The optimum receiver geometry has been selected based on the performance in terms of optical efficiency. The maximum efficiency found is 91.72% for h1 = 0.75 m and d/h = 0.5 for the mounting distance of 4.21 m. The optimized shape is further studied to determine how the receiver absorptivity and the secondary reflector's reflectivity affect the optical performance. The absorptivity and reflectivity range from 0.86 to 0.94. Obtained optimum receiver geometry from the optical investigation is further analyzed to estimate the heat transfer rate. The thermal modeling is performed for 0°, 30°, 60°, and 90° orientations of the receiver in ANSYS Fluent 2020 R1. A comprehensive comparison among the available models has been reported and validated with well-established experimental data. This work has developed free convective Nusselt number correlation. It can be a valuable addition to the existing literature.

Performance evaluation and optimization of solar dish concentrator in the upper Egypt region

AbstractThe goal of this study is to optimize and examine the effect of different rim angles and focus lengths on the performance of a solar parabolic dish. To achieve these goals, a solar parabolic dish concentrator was constructed with different focus point positions and tested under the climatic conditions of the Upper Egypt region in Qena city, with the location of (Latitude: 26.16°, Longitude: 32.71°). The preliminary experimental days started on 18th and lasted on 20th of September 2022, and the tested rim angles were 70°, 80°, and 60°. The results showed that the performance of the proposed solar parabolic dish concentrator was enhanced when the rim angle was between 60° and 70°, otherwise, the performance was regressed when the rim angle was between 70° and 80°. To optimize the rim angle, another available rim angle was selected to increase the performance of the solar dish fixed at 65°, and this angle was tested on 21st of September 2022. The results demonstrated that the thermal efficiency of the solar parabolic dish with rim angle of 65° was higher than that of 70°, 80°, and 60°, and the recorded thermal efficiency reached up to 79.5%, 39.4%, 5.84%, and 28.4%, respectively, under the tested rim angles.

Numerical and experimental analysis on convective heat losses from a fully open cylindrical cascaded cavity receiver

A cavity receiver finds substantial application to improve the thermal performance of a solar parabolic dish collector. However, its limited surface area shortens the scope of utilization and bars thermal efficiency. This research has intercepted such problems by including a cascaded cavity receiver, which offers more surface area and high-temperature distributions, representing more heat absorption and utilization to convert into thermal energy. The crucial design of a cascaded receiver consists of two concentric steel cylinders with different heights attached at one end. The design is tested theoretically with the help of CFD analysis, and the heat loss results are compared with the traditional cavity receiver. Furthermore, according to design, an experimental set-up is fabricated, and experimentations are conducted in off-flux mode using an electric heater. The Pyromark coatings minimize radiation losses and implement the working conditions in the lab testing scenario. The convective heat losses estimated reduction of 4.3 % at 0°–24.8 % at 90° due to the application of coatings in the normal cavity and 3.4 % at 0°–16.4 % at 90° due to the application of coatings in the cascaded cavity. Also, the cascaded cavity receiver minimizes 6.98 %–13.93 % convective heat losses compared to traditional cavity receivers.

A novel solar disk chamber reactor for agricultural waste recycling and biochar production

The quality and properties of biochar are generally influenced by the nature of the raw materials and pyrolysis techniques. To assess the quality of sesame biochar production, a disc chamber reactor set on a solar parabolic dish concentrator was proposed as a modified slow pyrolysis technique. To evaluate the physicochemical characterizations of the produced biochar, two pyrolysis settings were used: 470 °C for 1 h (T1) and 440 °C for 2 h (T2) to produce biochar from sesame stalk feedstock (SS) using the proposed solar disk chamber reactor. Ash content, mass fraction of elements (C, H, and O%), pH, surface area, zeta potential, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and scanning electron microscope (SEM) were investigated. The results showed that the mass of T1 biochar decreased by 5% when compared to T2, while ash content, pH, fixed carbon, and volatile gases for both biochars were relatively close. The H/C and O/C molar ratios were below 1.00 and 0.4, respectively, indicating a loss of degradable polar contents and the formation of aromatic compounds. The surface area of T2 biochar was three times the surface area of T1, with the opposite trend in mean pore diameter. Two biochars showed the same FTIR peaks and SEM data, with small differences in their characteristics, demonstrating that pyrolysis time and temperature had a tight relationship. Both biochars showed approximately similar properties. The reactor’s efficiency is mainly affected by solar energy and atmospheric conditions during operation, which influence the average surface temperature. In Egypt, climatic conditions would be more favorable in the summer to improve the efficiency of parabolic solar dish concentrators for producing high-quality biochar.Graphical abstract

Design and dynamic numerical modeling of a hybrid reverse osmosis/adsorption-based distillation system driven by solar dish Stirling engine for enhanced performance and waste heat recovery

In light of green solutions to address the shortage of freshwater shortage, energy crisis, and climate change. Tri-generation renewable systems are recently efficient approaches that can offer multiple energy outputs, such as heat, electricity, and distilled water. This paper presents a new hybrid freshwater production system driven by renewable energy for enhanced performance and waste heat recovery. This hybrid system proposes the utilization of reverse osmosis, an adsorption distillation system, and a solar dish Stirling engine (RO-ADS/SDSE). The cooperative concept is based on the re-desalination of the brine of the RO unit using an adsorption desalination system driven by the heat rejected from the SDSE, while the RO system is driven by the electrical energy produced by the Stirling engine. A mathematical model conducted in MATLAB coupled with EES package is developed to investigate the performance of the proposed RO-ADS/SDSE with and without pressure recovery (PR) mode at different salinity concentrations varying from 30000 to 50000 ppm at a constant feed pressure of 80 bar. The investigation is conducted based on the meteorological data of Tianjin, China. The results showed significant superiority in the performance of the proposed RO-ADS/SDSE system, as the annual freshwater production rate of the RO-ADS/SDSE with PR increased by up to 3000 m3 compared to 1700 m3 for the standalone RO system at a feed salinity of 45000 ppm and feed pressure of 80 bar. On a daily basis, the hourly permeating flow rate of the RO-ADS/SDSE with PR increased from 2.30 m3/h to 2.60 m3/h, and the permeate salinity decreased from 190 to 120 ppm. While the daily electricity consumption decreased from 5.20 to 4.40 kWh/m3. In conclusion, the proposed RO-ADS/SDSE system with PR can be considered a promising approach in maximizing the performance of desalination systems.

Integrated optical and thermal model to investigate the performance of a solar parabolic dish collector coupled with a cavity receiver

The cavity receiver is the most promising type of receiver, which drops the heat loss and converts the incoming concentrated radiation to useful energy. In this work, the coupled optical-thermal investigation is performed for a novel cavity receiver of a 40 m2 parabolic dish collector to estimate the thermal performance. The variation of thermal performance with inclination γ, wind direction ψ, wind speed V, and inlet temperature THTF,i has been discussed. SolTrace and ANSYS® Fluent are used for optical and thermal modeling, respectively. Surface errors, heat flux at each coordinate of the receiver, and the parabolic dish effect have been considered in the study. The text user interface (TUI) over graphical has been adopted in ANSYS® to reduce the computational expenditure for variation of parameters. In thermal modeling, a user-defined function (UDF) is applied for mapping data from SolTrace simulation with 107 rays. Therminol 66, as heat transfer fluid, is used in the receiver coils. The optical performance of 84.15% is achieved at an aiming height of 4.5 m. The thermal performance of 73.11% is obtained as maximum in no-wind conditions for 90° tilt. The worst thermal performance is obtained in side-on wind. Further, the performance has been compared with other models and found to be performing well.

Performance study of 1.5 kWe free piston Stirling generator emulating solar power working conditions

In this paper, solar irradiance, ambient wind speed and power load are emulated by regulating the electric heating power, the centrifugal fan speed and the load resistance to emulate the operation condition of the solar dish Stirling power generation (SDS) system. The couple effects on the generated power and thermoelectric efficiency of a free piston Stirling generator (FPSG) prototype are tested experimentally. The heat dissipation characteristics of the outer wall is analyzed. The results show that in certain start-up condition the generated power drops rapidly from 180.8 W to the lowest point of 77.1 W at 36 s, then rise gradually and stabilize at 12 min. The generated power is approximately positively linear with the heating power while the thermoelectric efficiency rises firstly followed by decline, with a peak of 20.3% at 5 kW. The wind speed reduces the generated power, thermoelectric efficiency and radiation loss, but increases the convection loss. The generated power and thermoelectric efficiency decrease with the load resistance, with the maximum values of 1364.6 W and 23.3% respectively.

Simulating the Energy, Economic and Environmental Performance of Concentrating Solar Power Technologies Using SAM

According to the Libyan government's newly released strategic plan, renewable and environmentally friendly energy sources would provide 30% of the country's power by 2030. The goal of this research is to shed light on solar energy technologies that may be used to generate clean and sustainable electricity. An energy-economic-environmental study of five Concentration Solar Power (CSP) technologies (parabolic trough, solar dish, linear Fresnel reflector, solar tower, and concentrated PV solar cell) was conducted for 22 selected locations in Libya. The Levelized Cost Of Energy (LCOE) was chosen as a reference for identifying which technology would be most suited for each site. The economic estimates include the cost of environmental damage caused by carbon dioxide gas (CO2) emissions from fossil-fuel-powered power plants. This technique allows clean and renewable energy to compete fairly in the global energy market, even in countries that produce oil and subsidize electricity. According to the data, the solar mirror technology in Libya has the lowest LCOE of all the technologies evaluated in this study. The LCOE estimates varied from 0.01 to 0.04 dollars per kWh. The clean energy produced by the solar tower surpassed 100 MW, or about 400.332 GWh. Furthermore, the adoption of clean concentrating solar energy technology avoided the discharge of 4,235 tCO2/year/MWp.

Experimental investigation to evaluate the performance profile of a small-scale standalone concentrated solar parabolic dish Stirling system

In this study, a small-scale solar parabolic dish Stirling system (SPDSS) is designed, developed and experimentally operated to generate electricity. The developed system is composed of a solar concentrator, a Stirling engine-generator set, and dual-axis tracking mechanism. The locally assembled Stirling engine is air-filled, double-acting gamma, with a nominal power rating of 40 W. There are six essential output parameters including engine displacer temperature, average engine speed, generator terminal voltage, load current, electrical power and overall efficiency of the system, which have been measured experimentally to assess global performance of the system. The experimental results revealed that the developed system could yield a maximum engine displacer temperature of 275°C, average engine speed of 261 RPM, peak generator no-load terminal voltage of 31.3 V, maximum load current of 2.67 amps, maximum electrical power of 17 W and overall efficiency of 3.4%. The experimental results, for the purpose of validation, have also been compared with simulation results and found in good agreement.

Experimental Investigation of Heat Transfer Coefficient in Parabolic Dish Solar Cooker with Thermal Energy Storage System

Abstract: The use of solar cooking can help cut back on the consumption of fossil fuels. Due to the rising expense of fossil fuels, there is a great demand for an energy efficient and affordable solar cooking technology, and it is currently the most popular study topic worldwide. This study examines how a thermal energy storage material (Erythritol) can improve the thermal performance of solar parabolic dish cookers. On the cooking vessel with and without thermal energy storage material, tests for stagnation temperature and water boiling and cooling are performed. In terms of thermal performance, heat loss factor, optical efficiency experimental results for the two instances are analysed. Heat loss factor was found to be 16.8 W/m2K and 28.21 W/m2K in with and without thermal energy storage system