Solar receiver with metamaterials-enhanced solar light absorbing structure

摘要

A metamaterials-enhanced solar receiver for a Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) plant includes spectrally-selective metamaterials-enhanced surface features engineered into the sunlight-receiving (upward-facing) surface of a high melting point sunlight absorbing material. The spectrally-selective features include substantially cube-shaped microcavities surrounded by associated interlaced walls disposed in a periodic (waffle-like) array having a grating period in the range of 0.5 to 2 microns, thereby forming a metamaterial structure exhibiting high absorptance efficiency (i.e., above 95%) of incident solar radiation having wavelengths in the visible light spectrum through induced coupling of visible light to the interlaced walls by way of generating surface plasmonic waves that resonate at visible light frequencies, whereby thermal energy is efficiently absorbed into the solar receiver to heat a transfer fluid. The metamaterial structure is also configured to minimize emissions in the infrared (IR) spectrum, thus minimizing thermal losses.