In Middle East region, where there are plentiful amounts of solar radiation and great desert areas,\nsolar energy can play a potential role in replacing conventional fuel-operated electricity generation\nmethods with a cost-effective, sustainable solution. This paper presents a feasibility study of a\nlow-cost solar energy steam generator for rural areas electrification. The proposed system is\nbased on the use of trough concentrator which converts solar radiation into thermal energy in its\nfocal line (where a receiver pipe is installed with a fluid flowing in its interior). The aim of the paper\nis to predict the feasibility and potential for steam generation using a stand-alone solar concentrator\nwith a small dimension for domestic and small-scale electricity generation. The study\npresented here is based on modelling of the system to determine the points at which the system is\nexpected to produce sufficient steam energy at the tube outlet to drive a steam engine for producing\nelectricity. Results are presented in graphical forms to show the operating points and the effect\nof changing selected input parameters on the behavior of the system in order to set some limits\n(boundaries) for such parameters. Results show that among the three input design parameters\nselected, the tube diameter is the most dominant parameter that influences steam energy, then\nthe tube length and finally the flow rate of the water passing through the tube. The results of this\npaper can provide a useful guideline for future simulation and/or physical implementation of the\nsystem.
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