Parabolic dish solar collectors. (Source: © jdoms / stock.adobe.com)

A device that concentrates the sun’s radiation into a single focal point using a large parabolic mirror. In order to achieve significant efficiency, the mirror must be quite large (several metres in diameter) and is therefore difficult to manufacture. However, temperatures in the focal point, where e.g. a Stirling engine can be located, can reach up to 700 °C. During the day, the mirror is tracking the sun.