Design and fabrication of a high-power, LED-based artificial light source for green methanol production

We present the design and the fabrication of a high-power illuminator comprising 30 LEDs, each coupled to a pyramidal collimator and to a lens, for a total power of more than 1.6 kW. When installed on an existing solar concentrator, this artificial light source provides additional energy for illuminating a photochemical reactor in which hydrogen is combined with CO2 to produce green methanol, allowing to run the process when solar energy is not available. We discuss the design of the artificial light source and show how a system made of flat mirrors and commercial lenses meets the power and irradiance specifications.