Analysis and Prospect of the Development of Solar Stirling Engine Technology

The solar Stirling engine is the more efficient way to transform the solar engine to electricity than photovoltaics in theory. However, the solar Stirling engine technology is relatively immature, which means that there is a long way from theory to practice. Hence, this research is proposed to discuss the technological development of the solar Stirling thermal power generation. In this research, the solar dish-Stirling system is the power station's generating unit because it is the most efficient way to generate solar energy into electricity. The comparative analysis is made from the aspects of efficiency, pros, and cons among the solar Stirling engine power station, thermal power station, and nuclear power station to verify the feasibility of the solar Stirling engine power station. Besides, the solar Stirling engine parameters would be compared to explore the maximum efficiency that can be achieved with the current technology. The maximum efficiency of the solar Stirling engine is about 32% at the absorber temperature of850K for the concentration ratio ofl300. Through the analysis, it can be claimed that although the solar Stirling engine power generation technology is relatively immature, it has certain technical advantages and is expected to replace the old power generation mode to achieve a green power generation mode.