Designing and Constructing an Alternative Reduced-Cost Heliostat Drive System

The world's energy supply is heavily dependent on fossil fuels. The limited supply of fossil fuels and their impact on the environment has led to a greater global focus on the development of alternative renewable energy solutions. As a part of this effort, Sandia National Laboratories has sponsored a design team from New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology to improve current heliostat designs by lowering heliostat production costs. To this end, a novel water-ballast drive system was designed which reduces the cost of the drive components and allows for a cheaper, lighter support system. A prototype utilizing a hybrid water-ballast drive system and a linear actuator is currently in production guided by strict specifications for durability and accuracy by Sandia National Labs. The second prototype improves on the initial prototype in both cost and in meeting the design specifications.