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Heliostat Projects

As you can see from the projects on this page, I am currently working to make heliostats more accessible. I still have a lot of documenting to do before I can call it complete, but it's a good start.

If you don't already know, a heliostat is just a mirror that rotates to reflect the light from the sun towards a single target even while the sun is moving through the sky. The easiest way to visualize this is with a video, so here you go.

Heliostats are generally used for solar energy. Although not as popular as solar panels, they can give you access to considerable amounts of untapped heat energy for a much lower price, assuming, of course, you build it yourself.

Arduino Controlled Heliostat Array

The links below show how my Arduino controlled heliostat array works. I'm still working hard to test everything, but, as it is now, it is ready for beta testers.

 

On this page you will find a program for the Arduino which is capable of controlling various types of solar machines such as a a dual axis solar panel tracking system, a parabolic dish solar concentrator, and a heliostat. (8/16/10)

 

This page will show you how my heliostat / sun tracking electronics control system works and will also give you information which should help you put together your own. (8/03/10)
 
   

Computer Controlled Heliostat

 




This program will calculate the angles needed to correctly position a heliostat or sun tracking machine.

Once finished, it will then send signals through the computer's parallel port in order to control the stepper motors that will move the machine to it's correct orientation.

 


Here is a set of plans for building a heliostat. They are based off of my most current design which seems to be working well.

I'm not sure exactly how I let it get to be seven pages long, but, in any case, they should be a pretty good starting point if you want to build your own heliostat. (9/8/09)

 

This page will show you how you need to align your heliostat for it to work with the Sun Tracker program.

The process is fairly easy to accomplish, but it might seem daunting if you've never done it before. Just take it one step at a time, and you should be fine. (8/04/09)
Heliostat Electronics

 

This page will cover the electronics you need to buy/scrounge/steal to make your heliostat move. (8/17/09)

 

Here is my third heliostat prototype. Believe it or not, this one actually worked! Finally! Woo Hoo!

I'm not going to go into too much detail here about building it, but it is still interesting to look at. (8/22/09)

  
     

 

Heliostat Optimization



This page will show you how you can increase your heliostat's efficiency considerably by simply choosing good targets. (6/24/10)


To make it easier for people to check whether or not their chosen target is the best one, I uploaded a program to this site which will graph how efficiently their heliostat is performing throughout the day. (6/27/10)


Before using a target, it's a good idea to double check to see if your heliostat is physically capable of tracking it throughout the day. To make this task easier, I have uploaded a simulator to this page for you to try out.(6/29/10)
   

 

Misc. Heliostat Stuff

 

Here is a small heliostat that I put together to test the "Sun Tracker" program.

I took a short 20 second time lapse video of it in action.

I've started to compile a list of heliostat applications on the forums. Of course, I couldn't possibly have thought of everything, so I need your help.

If you can think of an application where a heliostat would be useful, please share. Crazy ideas are just as important as practical ones. Thanks!

 

For anyone who is interested, here is the source code for the Sun Tracker program.

I'm making this available under one condition. You're not allowed to pick on my coding. :)  (8/22/09)


Note: This program has been replaced by the Sun Tracker program. Someone might still find it useful though, so I'm leaving it up.
Here is a program which creates a G-code file containing the angles needed to position a heliostat.
The file is then loaded into a machine controller, and used to keep the heliostat correctly oriented toward the target.

 

Here is a heliostat array prototype. That uses just one pair of stepper motors to control three mirrors. It's still not a perfect design, but it's more than good enough to give me the chance to do some experiments with it.

I hope to be able to test some of my heliostat ideas with it. (9/05/09)
  

Other People's Heliostat Projects

 

Here is a heliostat which was sent in by Mark. He says that he has had it up and running for about a year now without having to make any recalibrations. It looks pretty cool.

He has several more projects on his site besides just this one, so don't forget to check them out too. (9/17/09)

 

Brendan from heliostats.org has been making some progress with his heliostat project. The gears you see in the above picture were printed out with his Makerbot. Pretty neat idea. A printable heliostat for solar power. The future looks very cool indeed. (8/22/10)
  
   

Epic Fails

Update: For whatever reason I was never able to get these heliostat's to work. I still have yet to figure out why. In any case, the new design is easier to build, so I'm going to stick with it.

 

This page will go over a Sketchup model of a heliostat design that I have been working on.

 

Here is my first decent sized heliostat. It is based on a gimbal design which seems like it should work well. This is still just a prototype, but I figured that I would show it off anyway.

 

Here is my second decent sized heliostat. I never actually got this one to work right, but I sure as heck gave it my best effort.

I did learn a lot from it though, so it wasn't a complete waste. (8/22/09)
     

 

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