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Susan Kraemer
Stored solar heat gets an algorithm to ensure a steady supply
A new paper from researchers at PROMES-CNRS in France presents a control strategy to reliably deliver a precise thermal power from concentrated solar to meet industrial heat requirements. The objective was to design a proof-of-concept algorithm for operating a...
China targets 15 GW of CSP in next Five-Year Plan – Official Document
Source: China Solar Thermal Alliance and Xinhua BEIJING, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- China unveiled a policy roadmap on Tuesday to accelerate solar thermal power development, targeting around 15 gigawatts (GW) of installed capacity by 2030, with costs broadly comparable to...
Postdoc in Optimized thermal technologies for industrial decarbonization at KTH
School of Industrial Engineering and Management at KTH Job description To achieve decarbonization of the industrial sector, technically efficient and cost-effective solutions integrating renewable energy sources, electrification of heat, and energy storage are deemed....
Published at Solar Energy Engineering – A Solar Air Receiver With Porous Ceramic Structures for Process Heat at Above 1000 °C—Heat Transfer Analysis
Abstract: Concentrated solar energy can be used as the source of heat at above 1000 °C for driving key energy-intensive industrial processes, such as cement manufacturing and metallurgical extraction, contributing to their decarbonization. The cornerstone technology...
International Journal of Hydrogen Energy – A techno-economic and environmental evaluation of the integration of direct air capture with hydrogen derivatives production
Abstract: Carbon-neutral fuels are key to decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors. Solar redox cycles can produce them by creating oxygen vacancies in a metal oxide capable of splitting water and CO2. The resulting synthesis gas can be processed into a liquid fuel like...
Published at Solar Energy – Solar concentrator layout and performance analysis for multi-aperture receiver-reactors in high-temperature applications
Abstract: Promising new receiver-reactor concepts with multiple apertures have been proposed for high temperature solar thermochemical hydrogen production. However, limited information about suitable solar concentrator designs consisting of heliostat fields and...
SWISS signs long-term offtake agreement for solar jet fuel from Synhelion
Press Release Zurich, December 16, 2025 Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) and Swiss cleantech company Synhelion have signed a long-term offtake agreement for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). From 2027, SWISS will purchase at least 200 tons of solar jet fuel from...
Aluminum melted with Annular Fresnel solar at over 700°C
Solar researchers at Fraunhofer Chile have designed, built, and tested a complete solar collector and crucible system for melting and recycling aluminum, heated by Annular Fresnel solar collectors. In Annular Fresnel, each mirror is flat, like a Fresnel mirror, but...
Published at Solar Energy – Effects of concentrated solar–integrated packed-bed thermal energy storage operation on solid oxide electrolysis cell performance
Abstract: The use of renewable energy in the context of green hydrogen production requires suitable energy storage technologies to compensate for intermittent wind and solar resources. High-temperature electrolysis is a promising way to produce hydrogen as it has the...
Published at Applied Thermal Engineering – Dynamic heat transfer model for thermal energy storage using metal wool–phase change material composites
Abstract: Decarbonisation of the energy sector is critical for climate change mitigation, with the power sector remaining a major contributor to global emissions. Concentrating solar power (CSP) technology combined with thermal energy storage (TES) presents a...
Published at Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assesments – On-sun performance and stability of graphene nanofluids in concentrating direct absorption solar collectors
Abstract: The Performances of direct absorption solar collectors (DASC) are limited by the stability of the nanofluid’s optical properties. This study investigates the performance and long-term stability of a graphene-based nanofluid under real on-sun operating...
Tallying a year’s sun on solar calcination with sCO2 cycles
Solar calcination + sCO2 cycle In a year-round California-based study, a Chilean research team has continued to advance a potentially more cost-effective and efficient form of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) that leverages limestone's heat generation during...
Wei Wu’s startup Heatrix wins the 17th IDEE Förderpreis
Dr.-Ing. Wei Wu (born 1983) is the founder and managing director of Heatrix, a Bremen-based startup that she co-established with her co-founder, Dr.-Ing. Stefan Gasow-Lux. With a degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Stuttgart and a doctorate in...
Published at Applied Thermal Engineering – Performance evaluation of an oval solar receiver for safe and efficient ultra-high temperature operation
Abstract: Improving the operating temperature of the solar receiver can enhance power cycle efficiency in solar power towers by raising the turbine-inlet temperature. However, maintaining high efficiency and safety at ultra-high temperatures (>1573Â K) remains...
Researchers create a digital twin to run DAWN, Synhelion’s solar fuels plant
Collaborating with Synhelion engineers, a solar research team at the Solar-Institute Jülich (SIJ) of FH Aachen presented two papers at SolarPACES 2025 assessing the accuracy and reliability of dynamic process models for a solar fuel production system. They used...
Published at Chemical Engineering Journal – Thermodynamic modeling of countercurrent chemical looping reverse water gas shift process for redox material screening
Abstract: The reverse water gas shift (RWGS) reaction is a key pathway for CO2 utilization, particularly within Power-to-X process chains aimed at sustainable fuel and chemical production. Countercurrent chemical looping (CL-RWGS) using non-stoichiometric oxides can...
Published at Solar Energy – srlife: A software tool for estimating the life of high temperature concentrating solar receivers. Part II – Ceramic receivers
Abstract: As Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) technologies aim for higher operating temperatures to enhance efficiency and meet industrial process heat demands, high-temperature metallic materials, including nickel-based superalloys, face challenges in maintaining...
Published at Applied Thermal Engineering – A technology review of pumped thermal energy storage based on CO2 cycles
Abstract: Pumped thermal energy storage (PTES) is an innovative physical energy storage technology that converts surplus electricity into heat, stores it in thermal reservoirs, and reconverts it into electricity when needed. When CO2 is employed as the working fluid,...
Published at Applied Thermal Engineering – On the improvement of the thermal performance of longitudinally finned parabolic trough solar receivers
Abstract: The parabolic trough collector remains one of the most extensively deployed technologies for concentrating solar power and heating. Enhancing the thermal performance of the receiver tube, which is its core component, is critical for improving overall system...
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CSP News & Analysis
- Concentrated solar thermal in China’s 15th Five-Year Plan
- Concentrated solar heat and hydrogen to decarbonize iron ore processing
- Questions about China’s recent surge in CSP? Here are some answers
- The optimal internal receiver geometry for high temperature solar fuels
- Could waste brine from desalination plants help make steel greener?
- Tower CSP at Tangshan Haitai’s massive solar park runs a record 96 hours straight
- Solar experts offer a solution to satisfy both sides in Ivanpah decommissioning battle
- How big can a single tank to store molten salts be?
- Why Chile is ideal for deploying the solar sulfur cycle for green copper
- Concentrated solar lithium battery recycling demo bests fossil-fueled recovery rate
- Rethinking pressurized gases for Fresnel solar receivers
- Volateq’s drone-based monitoring targets key risks in parabolic trough collectors
- Ranga Pitchumani – we’ve just started scratching the surface of Gen3 CSP
- Stored solar heat gets an algorithm to ensure a steady supply
- Aluminum melted with Annular Fresnel solar at over 700°C
- Tallying a year’s sun on solar calcination with sCO2 cycles
- Researchers create a digital twin to run DAWN, Synhelion’s solar fuels plant
- A buried solar receiver to melt lunar ice
- Solar vacuum pyrolysis leverages the lunar vacuum to mine oxygen
- PSA advances a solar reactor to extract oxygen from lunar ilmenite
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