What is a Dish/Stirling System?
The dish/Stirling system is a renewable energy source that generates power by using parabolically arranged mirrors to reflect sunlight onto a small focal receiver, thereby heating a gas chamber connected to a piston and drive shaft. The drive shaft powers a generator which produces electricity to be distributed to a grid. Unlike conventional photovoltaic (PV) solar cells which register at between 10% and 18% efficiency, dish/Stirling systems are capable of converting around 25% of available energy from sunlight into electricity. Dish/Stirling systems are commonly called Solar Thermal Electric systems, to distinguish them from conventional solar panels. Dish/Stirling systems are mounted on motorized pedestals programmed to ensure the mirrors continue to face the sun throughout the day. A dish/Stirling system includes two components; the solar dish, which is simply a parabolic mirror or set of mirrors, and a Stirling engine, a closed-cycle engine that operates silently using any heat sou
