Currently, steam generation using solar energy mostly relies on optical concentration, which is a costly system, to generate the high temperature needed for water evaporation. Here, the development of a low-cost and scalable approach based on thermal concentration for solar steam generation is reported. The system was demonstrated to be capable of generating 100–120°C steam under ambient air conditions without optical concentration. A solar thermal efficiency could be achieved up to 13% at an average solar irradiance of only 670 W m−2. The new solar steam generation system, with its simple structure, great effectiveness, and low cost, holds the promise of significantly expanding the application domain of solar thermal systems.

中文翻译：

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平板集热式直接蒸汽发电太阳能集热器的建模与实验研究

目前，使用太阳能产生蒸汽主要依赖于光学聚光，这是一种成本高昂的系统，以产生水蒸发所需的高温。在这里，报告了基于太阳能蒸汽产生的热集中的低成本和可扩展方法的开发。该系统被证明能够在环境空气条件下产生 100-120°C 的蒸汽，而无需光学浓缩。在平均太阳辐照度仅为 670 W m-2 的情况下，太阳能热效率可高达 13%。新型太阳能蒸汽发电系统结构简单、效率高、成本低，有望显着扩大太阳能热系统的应用领域。