Performance analysis of a dish solar thermal power system with lunar regolith heat storage for continuous energy supply of lunar base

Sustainable energy supply is a major challenge for the lunar base because of the lengthy night of the Moon. In -situ resource utilization based on lunar regolith heat storage is a promising solution to this challenge. Herein, a dish solar thermal power system with lunar regolith heat storage is proposed to supply energy to a lunar base. A theoretical model is established using finite-time thermodynamics to investigate system performance in a lunar circadian cycle. A case study shows that the output power and efficiency of the system gradually decrease whether in lunar day or lunar night. The average output power during the lunar day and night is 10.8 kW and 7.0 kW, respectively. The system can achieve a high energy efficiency of 48.0%, which is mainly owing to the full utilization of lunar resources. In addition, the effects of several key parameters on the system performance are discussed and the results show that the energy supply of the system requires a tradeoff between lunar day and night. This work reveals that the proposed system has the potential to supply energy to the lunar base contin-uously and efficiently, providing a scheme for the energy supply system of the future lunar base.