University of Alberta - Advanced Contract Award Notice / Notice of Proposed Procurement - Ultra high-flux solar simulator (19.5 kWe)

ACAN to Ward to Sciencetech Inc.

Justification:
Currently, there is no other commercially available high-flux solar simulator that has the board flux concentration range (10 kW/m2 to 1000 kW/m2) or the precise flux diameter control (+/- 1 mm) that is offered by Sciencetech. Moreover, the system needs to be installed in a vertical configuration and should be capable of moving up and down. The Requestor has confirmed with Sciencetech that they can meet the unique requirements for the Requestor’s projects on volumetric solar thermal receivers. Sciencetech has a lead time of 3-4 months which aligns with the Requestor’s timeline for project delivery.. Other products sold as “solar simulators” offer low-level flux up to 1 kW/m2 and cannot be deployed to study interactions between high-flux solar radiation and matter. The applicants contacted other potential suppliers and confirmed that their standard simulator models lack the necessary capabilities for the proposed research program.