Wind and Structural Loads on Heliostats
Wind loading is a main contributor to structural design costs of Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) collectors, such as heliostats. These structures must resist the mechanical forces generated by turbulent wind. At the same time, the reflector surfaces must exhibit the necessary rigidity to maintain their optimal optical performance in windy conditions.
In 2024-2025, NLR conducted comprehensive field measurements of the atmospheric turbulent wind conditions and the resulting structural wind loads on heliostats at the Crescent Dunes power plant. The measurement set-up included meteorological masts and structural load sensors on three heliostats. Additionally, we commissioned a lidar scanning the solar field along the north-west quadrant.
This data set catalogs the high-resolution data set characterizing the complex flow field and resulting structural loads on heliostats. By providing this first-of-its-kind data set to the CSP community, we aim to enhance the community's understanding of wind-loading experienced by heliostats. This data set will also help design next-generation photovoltaic trackers.
Complete Metadata
| @type | dcat:Dataset |
|---|---|
| accessLevel | public |
| bureauCode |
[
"019:20"
]
|
| contactPoint |
{
"fn": "Shashank Yellapantula",
"@type": "vcard:Contact",
"hasEmail": "mailto:shashank.yellapantula@nrel.gov"
}
|
| dataQuality |
true
|
| description | Wind loading is a main contributor to structural design costs of Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) collectors, such as heliostats. These structures must resist the mechanical forces generated by turbulent wind. At the same time, the reflector surfaces must exhibit the necessary rigidity to maintain their optimal optical performance in windy conditions. In 2024-2025, NLR conducted comprehensive field measurements of the atmospheric turbulent wind conditions and the resulting structural wind loads on heliostats at the Crescent Dunes power plant. The measurement set-up included meteorological masts and structural load sensors on three heliostats. Additionally, we commissioned a lidar scanning the solar field along the north-west quadrant. This data set catalogs the high-resolution data set characterizing the complex flow field and resulting structural loads on heliostats. By providing this first-of-its-kind data set to the CSP community, we aim to enhance the community's understanding of wind-loading experienced by heliostats. This data set will also help design next-generation photovoltaic trackers. |
| distribution |
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"description": "Data lake with wind and loads data gathered between 2024-2025 on parabolic troughs at the Crescent Dunes power plant."
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|
| identifier | https://data.openei.org/submissions/8601 |
| issued | 2025-12-24T07:00:00Z |
| keyword |
[
"Atmosphere",
"CSP",
"Concentrated Solar",
"Crescent Dunes",
"Energy",
"Fluid Dynamics",
"Near-surface air temperature",
"Nevada",
"Power",
"Structural Loading",
"Turbulence",
"Wind",
"Wind speeds",
"data",
"flow field",
"optimal optical perfrmance",
"parabolic trough",
"processed data",
"solar",
"solar collector",
"solar power",
"structural design",
"structural load",
"wind conditions",
"wind impact",
"wind load"
]
|
| landingPage | https://data.openei.org/submissions/8601 |
| license | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| modified | 2026-01-07T17:15:02Z |
| programCode |
[
"019:008"
]
|
| projectNumber | EE0052732 |
| projectTitle | Wind Loading on CSP Collectors |
| publisher |
{
"name": "National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR)",
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| title | Wind and Structural Loads on Heliostats |
