HelioHeat Commercializes the DLR 1000°C Solar Receiver CentRec®
HelioHeat’s 1,000°C heat at just 1 Cent/kWh potentially ends the use of fossil energy for the production of steel, cement, food and chemicals
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Long-duration Thermal Energy Storage Startup Azelio Wins First Commercial Order
Swedish startup Azelio will see its long-duration Thermal Energy Storage (TES) technology used at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Complex (MBR) in Dubai, UAE. Recycled aluminium alloy is used as a phase change material to store heat which is then converted to electricity. The company’s TES technology stores energy as heat in a […]
TEXEL Explores US Market for 2-Cent Thermal Energy Storage in Metal Hydrides
Research – and deployment – of low cost and sustainable energy storage technologies are crucial to the long term survival of humans
To Make Green Ammonia, US Researchers Design a Novel Solar Process
As a vital component of fertilizers, ammonia (NH3) is the second most-produced industrial chemical in the world. Annual production is around 180 million metric tons and almost 90% of this production goes to meet the global demand for agricultural production. Ammonia is also increasingly seen as a potential green fuel for power production and […]
Saudi Government Raises Ownership to Half of Global Solar Leader ACWA Power
Reuters: Saudi fund raises ownership stake in ACWA Power to 50% -statement CAIRO/DUBAI (Reuters) – The Public Investment Fund (PIF), Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, said on Thursday it has increased its stake in ACWA Power to 50% from 33.6% as part of a move to support the renewable energy sector in Saudi Arabia. ACWA […]
CEMEX and Synhelion to Demo Zero CO2 Cement
Synhelion will produce concentrated solar heat at 1500°C for the cement plant and receive highly concentrated CO2 to produce synthetic fuels
Bokpoort Breaks a Solar Record – CSP Operating Round the Clock 13 Days:
CSP uses thermal power blocks like coal plants, but the advantage is that sunlight is the “fuel” so solar can be stored for very long periods
Nov 5 Webinar: Abengoa on Retrofitting CSP Plants for Intermittent Renewable Energy Storage
Webinar: Retrofitting CSP projects to store and integrate variable renewable energy (VRE) in the grid 5 November at 12:00 CET (Check your local time) Spain’s Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan (PINEC) targets 74% of power from renewable sources by 2030, with more than 25GW of PV capacity expected to be added by that year. Hybrid […]
In South Africa and Spain, CSP is Meeting or Exceeding Projected Operation Targets
South Africa’s Bokpoort performance has been “reliably excellent” SolarPACES spoke with Nandu Bhula who has been with the team responsible for the success of ACWA Power’s 50 MW Bokpoort trough Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plant in South Africa since the start, first as CEO while the project was being built, and currently as Chairman of […]
ATA Insights Webinar | CSP from Dusk to Dawn: Blueprint for 200 MW Tower
Wednesday October 28th at 12:00 CET CSP is a key player in the renewable energy market, overcoming some of the issues PV plants leave in the dispatch of solar energy. Tower projects with molten salt storage have taken key attention of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) projects, helping to provide dispatchability and flexibility to grid operators.< CSP […]
Aalborg CSP Cuts Tubing Costs up to 42% with an Asymmetric Receiver
“With the asymmetry of flux levels from the solar field; why not make the receiver also asymmetric to fit better with that,” she explained.
US DOE Announces Quarterfinalists in $9 Million Solar Desalination Prize
The American-Made Challenges: Solar Desalination Prize is a four-stage, $9 million prize competition, providing an additional $1 million in support, designed to accelerate the development of low-cost desalination systems that use solar-thermal power to produce clean water from salt water. Competitors will receive cash prizes as they advance through each stage of the competition, culminating […]
At the SolarPACES Conference, Heliogen Introduces Solar Heat at 1 cent/kWh
Solar PV for electricity is great, but the world needs solar fuels too, fuel for planes, fuel for ships and fuel for steel and cement.
Program for the 2020 SolarPACES Conference is Now Online
SolarPACES 2020 is coming up soon; starting Monday, 28th September. We are happy to update you on the latest news and program additions. Conference Program The full program of technical and plenary sessions is now available online. More than 400 contributions in the technical program among oral and poster presentations organized in 16 tracks allow a thorough […]
Xavier Lara on How Spain’s Q4 Auction Can Achieve the 5 GW of CSP it Wants
What are the policies that make it possible to actually meet a renewable energy target? Regulators can’t simply decree it happens
ACWA Power’s Bokpoort Sets New Production Record as South African Load-shedding Persists
Bokpoort’s thermal storage also powered the grid during the critical evening peak of 4pm – 10pm daily with about 82% Peak Hour Load Factor
Where Very Hot Solar Thermochemistry Research is Today: What’s Needed Next
A state of the art assessment of day or night solar thermochemistry at very high temperatures 1,000ºC to 2,000ºC
SolarPACES Conference 2020 Early Bird Registration Ends September 6!
Last few days for the 2020 SolarPACES Conference discounted early bird tickets! Be quick and save money by registering early! Attend the SolarPACES 2020 online conference from September 28 – October 2, 2020. By registering until September 6 (midnight pacific time) you can still benefit from the discounted early bird tickets. >> Register Now! Detailed Program […]
Solar Heat for Cleaning Wastewater and Recovering Clean Water
Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) technology is being successfully applied to treat wastewater effectively and do so while driving down costs and lower carbon emissions. Source: Rioglass Wastewater treatment is an increasingly complex and resource intensive process. Many operators of wastewater processing plants have been looking for ways to lower their OPEX costs while using less […]
Spanish Start-up Innovates Solar Steam Modules for Industries
Solatom’s Fresnel solar module is shipped ready to go and connected onsite as a turn-key design to generate steam or high pressure hot water
TuNur CEO Kevin Sara: Why Invest in Concentrating Solar Power?
[Note: SolarPACES previously interviewed the author of this guest post, Kevin Sara, on his firm’s plan to ship solar energy from CSP plants in Tunisia to the EU] Why is Bill Gates backing a Concentrated Solar Power company? What is oil major ENI doing with a CSP start-up? Why has Zurich airport agreed to purchase aviation […]
SolarPACES 2020 Online Registration is Open
The online registration is now available on the conference website. SolarPACES (Solar Power and Chemical Energy Systems) will be held as an online event from September 28 – October 02, 2020. We strive to make this an opportunity to connect the CSP community in a new way in these challenging times, and hope that even […]
Could Congress Commission a Government Agency Like WAPA to Build CSP?
When Bernie Sanders proposed building publicly owned renewables it was dismissed as pie in the sky. But a US agency once did exactly that
Australian Researchers Assess the Commercial Viability of Solar Alumina Calcining
Commercializing alumina refining using solar heat Approximately 27% of Australia’s industrial carbon emissions come from alumina refineries, in which fossil fuels are burned to heat the processes. But concentrated solar thermal (CST) could provide up to half of the heat needed. Australian researchers have for the first time demonstrated a novel solar reactor for calcining […]
SolarPACES Award Winner Vast Solar Plans a 50MW 24/7 Australian Solar Project
Australian solar thermal developer Vast Solar has unveiled plans to take its technology into the mainstream, unveiling a $600 million proposal to build a “baseload” solar plant in Mt Isa that will combine solar thermal, solar PV, battery storage and fast-acting gas generators. The plan, being supported and advised by Energy Estate, is to build […]
Promising Test Results for Molten Salts in Trough CSP
What if the more bankable trough technology could run on molten salt, like the more efficient tower CSP? Wouldn’t that leverage the best of each technology?
China Wins First CSP for Hydro-Rich Zambia as Drought Increases
The Zambian subsidiary of the Chinese giant Sinohydro has been chosen to carry out the civil engineering work for the construction of the Kalulushi solar concentration plant (SCP) in the copper belt province. Chinese state-owned Sinohydro is the world’s 14th largest hydropower engineering and construction company. The project is being developed by the Independent Power […]
ATA Webinar July 30: The Present and Future of CSP and Thermal Storage from the European Perspective
How do the big objectives announced by the European Commission turn into actionable projects for renewables and storage of hydrogen in the different country members? Which programs that apply to CSP and thermal storage are currently being discussed in Brussels? How can CSP and thermal storage become a commercial reality in the post-covid scenario? In […]
Industry Shares its Experience to Advance Next Generation CSP
Engineers generally tend to be solutions-oriented, and engineers in Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) are no different. A history of making things better than they were is why we now have advanced technologies. As Hal Harvey, founder of Energy Innovation told the NYT opinion columnist Tom Friedman: “A prime difference between the Enlightenment and the Dark […]
IEA Clean Energy Transitions Summit Convenes 80% of Global Emitters Online July 9th CEST
The IEA Clean Energy Transitions Summit on 9 July will bring together countries representing the vast majority of the global economy The year’s largest global gathering on energy and climate issues aims to support a resilient and sustainable economic recovery from the Covid-19 crisis Ministers from countries representing the vast majority of global GDP, energy use […]
World’s First Utility-Scale Molten Salt Fresnel CSP Plant Connects to China’s Grid
The China Dunhuang Dacheng 50MW molten salt linear Fresnel CSP project plant has now officially begun commercial operation on June 19, 2020. To celebrate the occasion of commercial operation of the first ever molten salt Fresnel CSP occasion, the developers and contractors held a commissioning ceremony. Pioneers molten salt for Fresnel CSP This project is […]
Spain’s First CSP to Get Novel Thermal+Electric Storage Retrofit
Abengoa plans to “bolt-on” novel low-cost storage to some of the first Spanish trough CSP plants, that were built without storage
Which is the Most Efficient Way to Make Solar Fuels from Methane?
The research team found that a redox process produced higher solar-to-fuel efficiency than steam or dry solar methane reforming with a metal alloy catalyst
Making Solar Hydrogen with a Side of Carbon Nanotubes
Two teams of solar researchers have developed a novel solar reactor and thermochemical process for making solar hydrogen that can generate in addition carbon black and graphite as well as carbon nanotubes. Working over a six-year period, the teams first developed the specific solar reactor, and then subsequently, the thermochemistry for the (patent pending) novel […]
Switzerland’s International Airport to Buy Synhelion’s First Solar Fuel
Synhelion is developing technology to produce synthetic gas from air and sunlight. This can be processed into fuel that can be burned in standard engines
SolarPACES Conference, Deadlines and the COVID Pandemic
SolarPACES 2020 Abstract Submission Extended: May 11 Due to the current situation, we are providing a short extension of the submission deadline until Monday, May 11, 2020. To present a paper, an extended abstract should be submitted electronically and should provide suitable information to allow the significance and quality of your work to be determined. Review criteria include […]
Applications Open for US DOE $9 Million Solar Thermal Desalination Prize
Washington, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the launch of the $9 million American-Made Challenges: Solar Desalination Prize, a competition to accelerate the development of systems that use solar-thermal energy to produce clean water from very-high-salinity water. “The U.S. has the technical knowledge, vision, and talent it takes to develop solar-powered […]
Morocco Pioneers PV with Thermal Storage at 800 MW Midelt CSP Project
Colocating PV and CSP to share the CSP thermal storage could be widely applicable as energy grids become more saturated with renewables
How Much Land Would Solar Thermochemistry Need to make All Our Aviation Fuel?
If one “solar refinery” manufactured all the aviation fuel needed for the entire world from CO2+H2O captured from air using solar energy – all in just one site, the solar field would stretch for example, from Paraburdoo to Capricorn in the Western Australian desert
California Looks for Long-Duration Renewable Energy Storage Contracts for 2026
An optimal power system portfolio for the US state of California that would drive the world’s fifth largest economy towards greenhouse gas reduction goals for 2030 and then to zero carbon by 2040, includes 1GW of long duration energy storage, an analyst has highlighted. The roadmap includes around 25GW of new renewable generation, PV […]
Fred Morse: Go from Lowest Cost to Best Fit for a 100% Carbon Free Grid
CSP+TES match a 100% clean grid best fit needs: flexibility, reliability, dispatchability, durability but utilities don’t know how to procure them
At Synhelion, Solar Jet Fuels Get Ready for Take-off
A Swiss startup is working on commercializing two routes to solar jet fuel – to market first by 2022, and by 2030, from direct air capture of CO2 and H2O
Online Conference April 1-2: World Bank MENA Concentrating Solar for Power and Heat
ATA Insights invites you to attend the World Bank’s MENA CSP KIP capstone online conference: Concentrating Solar for Power and Heat (April 1-2, 2020) This final workshop of the World Bank’s Middle East & North Africa Concentration Solar Power Knowledge & Innovation Program will summarize the results of the Program’s activities over the past three years, […]
Developers and Utilities Mull Solar Storage for a 100% Clean Energy Southwest
As electricity grids include more intermittent renewables to meet 100% clean energy goals – utilities look beyond batteries to CSP+TES
A New Way to Dry Cool Solar Thermal Power Plants – with Underground Air
A completely new way to dry cool solar thermal power plants, inspired by commercially available underground heat pumps used to cool buildings
Generation from Spain’s Existing 2.3 GW of CSP Showing Steady Annual Increases
Spain’s solar generation from Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) continues to increase as operating experience continues to increase efficiency
China’s Supcon Achieves Over 105% of Projected Output in 24/7 Solar
From CSP Focus: China Supcon Delingha 50MW CSP plant achieved record high performance in Feb. 2020 The monthly generation of China Supcon Delingha 50WM CSP tower plant reached record high at 17.1795 GWh in February 2020 (from Jan 26 to Feb 25), with the generation fulfillment rate of 102.9%. Supcon Delingha 50MW Molten Salt Tower […]
Concentrated Solar Heat to Desalinate Seawater at Saudi Neom City
Source: Power-Technology Saudi Arabia has appointed the UK-based Solar Water PLC to build the first ‘carbon-neutral’ desalination plant in the city of Neom. The desalination plant will use concentrated solar power to heat a steel dome that boils the seawater. Works on the desalination plant are expected to start in February and be completed by […]
Clean Tech Investment Challenge in Commercializing Innovations like HELIOtube
HELIOVIS has been running a demo plant in Spain for two years demonstrating their novel low-cost blow-up plastic tube solar collector for CSP. The small startup is fighting hard to get the industry-scale financial backing needed to introduce the technology and to make commercial sales. https://www.solarpaces.org/how-csp-works/ “We developed a solar collector that replaces the conventional […]
Irrigation Water Can First be Used to Cool a Solar Thermal Power Project
Wet cooling of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants would be preferable if there was plenty of available water, because it promotes greater thermal efficiency. However, most CSP tends to be built in very arid regions, and so for environmental reasons, developers increasingly get these solar thermal power projects permitted only by planning less-efficient dry cooling. […]
“Star” Receiver Could Cut Tower CSP Cost 11%
A star shape allows for double sided flux exposure in the receiver, a way to allow for increased flux density limits in standard tower CSP
Real-Time Sky Imaging Cameras to Speed Up CSP Response Time
Advances in sky camera systems are set to drive up CSP efficiency in the coming years. In Europe, tests of WobaS All Sky Imager (ASI) technology at the 50 MW La Africana parabolic trough plant in Spain increased plant revenue by 2% over a two year period. Developed by Germany’s DLR Institute of Solar Research […]
Sener Offers to Expand its CSP as South Africa’s Coal Plant Blackouts Continue
Source: South Africa ITWeb Spanish-based technology and engineering company, Sener, together with its partners, has invested billions of rands in the Ilanga concentrated solar power 1 (CSP1) project,which provides solar-generated thermal electricity to around 100 000 South African households. Billed SA’s first 100% black-owned solar plant, the Ilanga CSP1 is located in Karoshoek, about 20km […]
Brightsource Innovates a Solar-cured Coating for DEWA Tower CSP
Testing laboratories in Germany, France and Spain have confirmed the effectiveness of a new high-performance (97% absorbance) optical coating developed by Brightsource Energy, that can be “solar-cured” directly atop the receiver of tower CSP, like Brightsource is building as part of the ACWA Power 700 MW DEWA CSP project in the UAE for the Dubai […]
A Novel CSP Heliostat Goes from Lab to Market in Just 5 Years
The innovative pentagonal Stellio heliostat has gone from lab to commercial deployment in China’s Hami CSP project in record time
Evening Peak Solar CSP Projected to Undercut Gas in Chile’s Open Auctions
Unlike in other countries, Chile’s open auctions have no subsidies or technology restrictions, pitting CSP against combined cycle gas turbine power plants
Bill Gates Funds A Second Concentrated Solar Thermal Startup: Heliogen
Building on R&D from IDEALAB, Bill Gates has now invested in his second CSP-based start-up after Malta, with Heliogen. Press Release; Singular scientific achievement takes place at Heliogen’s commercial facility in Lancaster, California PASADENA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Heliogen, the clean energy company that is transforming sunlight to create and replace fuels, today announced its launch and that […]
NREL Awarded $2.8 Million to Develop a Long-Duration Thermal Energy Storage Technology
Surplus solar or wind to heat thermal storage would be a win-win, meeting changing market needs to store renewables – while transitioning fossil energy
Got Ideas on How to Commercialize sCO2 With CSP? Tell Uncle Sam
The goal of this RFI is to assess how we can accelerate the commercialization of sCO2 integration with CSP. Today, the Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) has issued a new request for information (RFI) about the integration of advanced supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) power cycles and thermal energy storage with concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP). This is […]
US Lists $30 Million in 2019 CSP Research Awards
On November 6, 2019, the U.S. Department of Energy announced $128 million in funding for 75 projects in this program. Thirteen of these projects will focus on CSP research and development. Concentrating Solar Power Research and Development: $30 million for 13 research projects that enable CSP to provide power at any time and in any season, and […]
Logistics Firm Chooses Solar for Steam Washing at Port of Antwerp
Source: Port Technology News The Port of Antwerp has inaugurated the first Concentrated Solar Thermal (CST) in Europe as part of its efforts to make its operations more environmentally friendly. [Actually, there are many such projects in Europe: for example the many cities with solar district heat from Aalborg. CST (or CSH) provides just direct […]
Rebirth of SolarReserve’s 450 MW Likana Brings CSP Supply Chain Hope for Chile
This week, the Cerro Dominador Group/EIG Global Energy Partners bought the Likana Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) project from US-based SolarReserve, which was unable to complete the project. SolarReserve had already developed Likana by accomplishing the preliminary work of siting and monitoring local DNI and taking it through Chile’s environmental permitting process, but was unable to […]
Sodium-based Vast Solar Combines the Best of Trough & Tower CSP to Win our Innovation Award
At the 2019 SolarPACES Conference, Vast Solar took the SolarPACES Technical Innovation Award for their use of high temperature sodium-based HTF in tower CSP, presented in their paper: Vast Solar: improving performance and reducing cost and risk using high temperature modular arrays and sodium heat transfer fluid. Their design appears like a small modular tower […]
Japan and Australia Test Solar Hydrogen Component
For countries such as Japan or South Korea with poor DNI and little space for wind and solar, the value of hydrogen is that it can be made overseas with renewable energy, then stored and shipped, and used to produce electricity, heat, or propulsion. This way, regardless of local solar or wind resource, any economy […]
China Connects Luneng, its 5th CSP Project in Climate Push
Luneng’s 50 Megawatt (MW) tower CSP project with 12 hours of thermal energy storage (in molten salts) connected to the Chinese grid on September 20th
MENA Region Industries Could Heat for Less with Solar
Which Middle East and North Africa (MENA) nations could decarbonize industrial heat with Concentrated Solar Heat (CSH) most cost-effectively? World Bank energy consultant Elena Cuadros and Fraunhofer’s Pedro Horta supplied very detailed calculations showing where CSH could be substituted at a lower cost than fossil fuels by comparing CSH costs to specific fossil fuel costs currently […]
Supcon Just Connected 50 MW of Tower CSP to China’s Grid at Record Speed
Supcon has completed its second CSP Tower project, the 50 MW Gonghe project at record speed – just under a year and a half
Q&A: How Risk Mitigation Finance Can Cut CSP Costs
Cutting risk in financing will be the next key to further cut CSP costs, according to the author of Non-recourse project financing for concentrated solar thermal power published in the journal Utilities Policy. Dr. Steven Geroe teaches Energy and Environmental Law and Contract Law at Melbourne’s La Trobe Law School, and became interested in China’s […]
Novel CSP Design Combines the Solar Receiver with Thermal Energy Storage
Researchers propose combining a solar receiver with energy storage within one unit on the ground, by using a beam-down optical reflecting system
Add Hydrogen Combustion to a Solar Reactor for Carbon-Free Mining and Mineral Processing
Iron, nickel, alumina and copper mining processes are among the industrial processes that require heat at between 700°C and 1000°C. The advanced concentrated solar thermal (CST) reactors being developed by researchers globally can attain temperatures this high (and higher, up to 1500°C). But CEOs in mining and mineral processing industries are more familiar with fuel […]
SolarPACES 2018 Proceedings Now Published with AIP
SolarPACES 2018 Proceedings Now Published with AIP The SolarPACES 2018 conference proceedings are now published with AIP, the American Institute of Physics (www.aip.org), volume number 2126. All accepted papers are freely accessible on the AIP website and contain an ISBN number for the volume as well as individual DOI numbers for each paper. The proceedings […]
Could China’s Global Grid Idea Help Grow CSP?
China has an ambitious proposal for a global HVDC grid to transfer renewable energy throughout the world. Interconnected regional electricity networks would be connected to a backbone of HVDC lines that would become a globe-spanning super grid by 2050. Advancing the idea is China’s Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization (GEIDO). The concept depends on […]
A Solar Process Like Gas Reforming Makes Green Hydrogen Cheaper
A preliminary study of the average cost of a novel process for producing solar hydrogen in several locations in Australia finds it could come close to the US DOE renewable hydrogen target of $3 per kilogram. The way that hydrogen is reformed from natural gas is a well-established, low-cost process. But greenhouse gases are emitted […]
Designing Solar Furnaces to Make Biochars without Air Pollution
Charcoal might seem like a very low tech product, but lithium batteries, water filtration and super-capacitors are among its high tech end uses, and the requirements for these different purposes are actually very exacting. Solar researchers in Mexico are investigating the various temperatures and the rate of heat needed to make different biochars from agricultural […]
Start-Up VC Invests in Beam-Down Concentrator for Solar Fuel
“Our “back of the envelop” communication with researchers is that $3 per gallon of gasoline equivalent (GGE) per kilogram of hydrogen could be obtainable,” said Al Maaitah.
Morocco’s Ourazazate Noor III CSP Tower Exceeds Performance Targets
The 150 MW Noor III CSP tower in Morocco has exceeded performance targets on output and storage integration in the first few months of operation and financing costs for tower storage projects should fall in line with parabolic trough rates going forward, Xavier Lara, Senior Consultant at CSP engineering group Empresarios Agrupados (EA), told New […]
Morocco Breaks New Record with 800 MW Midelt 1 CSP-PV at 7 Cents
Morocco’s 800 MW CSP-PV Noor Midelt breaks last year’s auction price record of 7.3 cents set by DEWA in the UAE, with winning bid at USD 7 cents/kWh The Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (MASEN) has announced that the consortium of EDF Renewables, Masdar, and Green of Africa – a joint venture between three Moroccan […]
VC-Funded Thermal “Battery” is Based on CSP Molten Salt Energy Storage
Standalone thermal storage: “Incredibly cheap grid-scale storage with a very long calendar life” The new Venture Capital (VC) firm Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV) only invests in technologies they vet as both “scientifically feasible at scale” and with the potential to reduce “at least half a gigaton of greenhouse gases every year.” Along with Alfa Laval […]
China to Finance and Shanghai Electric to Build CSP for ACWA Power’s 950MW Dubai Solar Plant
EPC Contract with Shanghai Electric to Develop 700 MW DEWA CSP Project Signed in China ACWA Power Apr 15, 2018 DEWA and ACWA Power, in collaboration with Shanghai Electric, will undertake the 700 MW CSP portion of the 950 MW solar project in Dubai. Together with 250 MW of PV, the 950 MW solar project […]
Make Carnot Batteries with Molten Salt Thermal Energy Storage in ex-Coal Plants
Retiring coal power plants could see a new life serving the green economy by storing renewable energy as thermal batteries, delivering the stored energy back to the grid using the former coal plant’s existing power blocks and grid connections. Leveraging the low cost of the molten salt thermal energy storage used in CSP (Concentrated Solar Power) […]
Study of Chile’s CSP Potential for Domestic Manufacturing
A study commissioned by the Chilean government and presented before the SolarPACES Conference in Morocco makes data available to potential participants in a Chilean CSP industry. The study, Local Content in CSP:CST Projects- Assessment of the Chilean Industry is designed to put together useful information for both international CSP developers bidding in auctions and local […]
May 7 Deadline for DOE $33 Million for CSP R&D in Storage, Manufacturing and Autonomous Technologies
CSP Researchers: Up to $33M is available under the US Department of Energy SETO office to support the development of low-cost storage technologies for CSP that make solar-thermal energy available on demand. In addition, the office is seeking projects that lower CSP costs by supporting the development of advanced manufacturing processes and developing autonomous technologies. […]
Shouhang and EDF to Test s-CO2 Cycle in Concentrated Solar Power
China could be the first to deploy s-CO2 in CSP The world’s initial Concentrated SolarPower (CSP) plants continue to use the legacy steam cycles of conventional thermal plants. But steam cycle is a mature technology with temperature-based efficiency limits, hampering the potential to raise efficiency and lower costs. Consequently, international researchers have investigated a new […]
Australian Researchers Design a Solar Process for Algae-Derived Solar Fuel
Algae is a potential energy feedstock that is synergistic with solar fuels because algae can be grown in salt water on cheap desert land with a good solar resource, and it also contains the chemicals needed for making solar fuels (hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen). Research is ongoing into reducing the cost of farming algae. To […]
A Novel Way to Cut Cost in Tower CSP
The tower form of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) is very young technology. Less than a gigawatt is deployed globally, making it a nascent technology at the “Cambrian explosion” stage; multiple innovations are still being explored to cut costs. (How tower CSP works) A new economic study looks at reducing its Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) […]
Top Steelmaker Tests Thermal Energy Storage in Slag Byproduct to Cut CO2
Thermal energy stored in steel slag could replace fossil fuels used for heat in steel production
China Made Solar PV Cheap – Is CSP Next?
With China in the game, the outlook for the technology has gone from from gloomy to better than ever – however it also carries great risk
Researchers Test Solar to Cut CO2 in Cement Processing
Renewable energy researchers have been looking into how to cut CO2 emissions from processing industrial minerals like cement and lime, as these are responsible for a high share of the global greenhouse gas emissions. For every 10 tons of cement we produce, we release 9 tons of CO2, with much of that through the burning […]
South Africa OKs Start-up of SENER’s Day-to-Night Solar Thermal Energy: Ilanga-1
Ilanga-1 has been certified to initiate commercial operation of its day-into-night solar CSP facility, now that construction, commissioning and testing is complete Press Release: Johannesburg (South Africa), 5 December 2018 – SENER, global engineering and technology group, together with its engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) partners, Emvelo and Cobra, announces that the Ilanga-1 Concentrated Solar […]
First-Ever Conference on the Role of CSP in Decarbonising the Mediterranean and Middle East: Cyprus and Online
. Prof. Manuel Blanco, European Research Area (ERA) Chair in Solar Thermal Technologies for the Eastern Mediterranean of the Energy Division of the Cyprus Institute’s Energy, Environment and Water Research Center (EEWRC) & Vice-Chair of SolarPACES announces the first-ever international conference on the role of CSP in climate mitigation through decarbonising the energy sector, to be […]
Study Investigates Solar District Cooling Potential for Saudi Arabia
Instead of running air conditioners on fossil-fueled electricity, University of Bergamo researchers Guiseppe Franchini and Antonio Perdichizzi propose an alternative cooling technology; using a thermal form of solar energy to provide solar district cooling in the Saudi Kingdom. Their study of the economics of solar district cooling was published at Energy Conversion and Management, in […]
Can California Really Meet its 100% Clean Energy Target?
California is a global leader in climate policy, and its goal of 100% clean energy by 2045 is now law in the 5th largest economy after China, the US, Japan and Germany. While the state has had a cap and trade program in place since 2013, it has been the simplicity and directness of a […]
SolarPACES 2017 Conference Proceedings Now Published with AIP
The SolarPACES 2017 conference proceedings are now published with AIP, the American Institute of Physics (www.aip.org), volume number 2033. All accepted papers are freely accessible on the AIP website and contain an ISBN number for the volume as well as individual DOI numbers for each paper. The SolarPACES 2017 proceedings are available here The conference […]
Glasspoint Signs up 2nd Oman Solar EOR Project at Twice the Size: 2 GWth
GlassPoint just signed an agreement with a second oil company operating in Oman to facilitate oil production by the use of 2 GWth solar-generated steam replacing fossil fuel-generated steam.
How CSP Can Help Remove CO2 from air
A New Paper Describes a Solar Thermal Air Capture of Carbon Dioxide with Amino Acids Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) will play a key role in a decarbonized economy because it can produce heat without adding any carbon emissions. Though for centuries we’ve produced heat for industrial uses by burning a fossil fuel like coal, or […]
IEA: China Overtaking US in Concentrated Solar Power by 2023
Source: IEA: Renewables 2018 Market analysis and forecast from 2018 to 2023 With 1.9 GW coming online, China is expected to overtake the United States to have the second-largest CSP (Concentrated Solar Power) installed capacity by 2023, as global deployment nearly doubles over the next five years from today’s 5 GW. CSP is expected to grow […]
October 2018: SolarPACES ExCo Selects a New Logo
At the 95th Meeting of the SolarPACES Executive Committee, which was held in Casablanca in October, the committee decided on a new logo to represent what solar thermal energy has to offer in today’s world. SolarPACES new logo has been designed to differentiate the thermal (heat) aspect of solar thermal energy from solar Photovoltaic (PV). […]
China’s First Commercial CSP Project Has Begun Operation
Source: China National Solar Thermal Energy Alliance The Delingha 50MW solar thermal power plant constructed by CGN New Energy, a subsidiary of China General Nuclear Power Corporation, in the northwestern province of Qinghai was put into operation on October 10th, 2018. As China’s first large commercial parabolic-trough concentrated solar power (CSP) plant, the operation of […]
Final Testing for 150 MW Noor III Tower CSP
SENER is about to start the final tests at Noor Ouarzazate III, after completing the first synchronization of the 150 MW Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plant to the Moroccan grid. With these milestones, SENER starts the last phase before the plant’s commercial operation and final delivery to the client. This plant is the second unit designed and built […]
Climate Policy that Actually Works: How Morocco is Meeting its Clean Energy Goals
An interview reveals Morocco’s secret: MASEN (the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy) is actually a renewable energy “one stop shop” – starting with climate policy, through needs assessment, planning, infrastructure development and finally structuring to mobilize project finance.
ARPA-E Awardees Aim to Store Energy for up to 4 Days
Source: ARPA-E The U.S. Department of Energy has announced the selection of 10 projects as part of a new Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) program, DAYS; Duration Addition to electricitY Storage. Awardees will develop energy storage systems to provide reliable, affordable power to the electric grid for up to 100 hours, enhancing grid resilience and […]
SolarReserve’s Aurora Solar Project Signs MOU for 13,000 Aussie Heliostats
US solar developer SolarReserve has just signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Australian firm Heliostat SA, to partner in manufacturing and assembling heliostats and heliostat components for the 150 MW Aurora CSP project that SolarReserve is developing in Port Augusta. Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) is a thermal form of solar energy that includes integrated molten […]
Can Spain Revive the CSP Industry it Killed?
The time is right to consider what went wrong and what went right with Spain’s previous CSP policy – because an election in June put the renewable-friendly coalition that developed it back in power. Spain’s socialist-led coalition government jumpstarted virtually all the Concentrated Solar Power/CSP deployed in Europe, 2.3 GW, creating a supply chain of Spanish […]
Q&A on Chile’s CSP Lessons Learned: Carlos Arenas Coronil
Source: Center for Mediterranean Integration Lessons learned in Chile’s CSP program: A Word with Carlos Arenas Coronil, former Regional Secretary, Northern Chile Region CM. You have pushed for the development of concentrating solar power in Chile from the very beginning, why do you think CSP is a good choice for Chile? CA. I’ll give you […]
Researchers Seek Best s-CO2 Solar Desalination from Waste Heat
Could a Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) power plant tap the waste heat it produces to desalinate water? Scientists at find that the answer is yes – in a co-generation setup where CSP using a supercritical carbon dioxide (s-CO2) power cycle is combined with thermal desalination – and they go on to figure out the process that […]
Salt Melting Starts at SENER’s Kathu Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Project in South Africa
Source: SENER Johannesburg (South Africa), 02 August 2018 – The engineering and technology group SENER and ACCIONA Industrial have achieved another relevant milestone initiating the salt melting process at the Kathu Solar Park Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plant. The molten salt will be used to store heat from the solar field that can later be […]
How Three Novel Technologies Trialled in the US Will Cut CSP Cost
The DOE announced $72 million in funding of three novel pathways to raising temperature and efficiency to lower costs for three CSP tower technologies
Study: CSP Will Help China Cut Costs of Climate Action
Solar thermal energy turns out to be the key to China meeting its climate commitments. A new study investigates the best combination of renewables for providing the lowest cost to power system operators in two of China’s provinces best suited to scale up renewable energy. China’s power systems operators must invest in renewable energy to […]
What are the Pros and Cons of Longer Solar Contracts?
The first-ever 35-year solar power contract – ACWA Power’s with DEWA in Dubai – had a record-low price, for CSP+storage of just 7.3 cents per kWh. Did a longer contract enable the record low price?
Artificial Vision Enables Solar Field Calibration Overnight
Researchers have developed a prototype for calibrating an entire solar field in a single night, shaving months off the current calibration system for large size Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) tower plants. In tower CSP, an encircling solar field of thousands of heliostats (specialized mirrors) must continuously and precisely reflect concentrated beams from always-moving sunlight onto […]
China’s First Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Has Connected to the Grid
From CSPPlaza: China’s power grid system has connected a new solar thermal power project. On the evening of 30th June, China’s first commercial-scale Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) project, China Guangdong Nuclear Power Delingha 50MW parabolic trough CSP station was successfully connected to the grid, achieving the milestone of grid connection. This means that the first […]
A Blueprint for 100% Solar Desalination
Freshwater shortages are projected to increase in our hotter and more crowded future. Already,150 countries desalinate seawater, using fossil fuels. But supplying an ever-increasing basic need with non-renewable fuels creates a growing threat, according to Dr. Diego-César Alarcón-Padilla, who heads the Solar Desalination Unit at Plataforma Solar de Almería (PSA) and is Operating Agent of Task […]
How CSP Works: Tower, Trough, Fresnel or Dish
All concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies use a mirror configuration to concentrate the sun’s light energy onto a receiver and convert it into heat. The heat can then be used to create steam to drive a turbine to produce electrical power or used as industrial process heat. Concentrating solar power plants can integrate thermal energy […]
Noor III 150 MW Tower CSP starts Commissioning in Morocco
Source: RenewEconomy The world’s biggest solar tower power plant with molten salt storage has begun commissioning in Morocco, and is scheduled to begin production by October. The 150MW Noor Ouarzazate III solar receiver, with 7.5 hours of molten salt storage is only the second big scale project of its type, and trumps its predecessor in […]
China to Extend Deadline for Late CSP Demos – But Add Penalty
China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) has announced that the deadline for the first batch of CSP demo projects can be extended to 2020, but with an electricity price reduction mechanism. On May 22, the NEA issued a notice, “Promoting the Construction of Solar Thermal Power Demonstration Projects”. The notice pointed out that the first batch […]
Chile’s 210 MW Cerro Dominador CSP-PV Project Signs Financing
Source: Cerro Dominador May 18, 2018, Chile – Cerro Dominador, a Chilean company owned by investment funds managed by EIG Global Energy Partners (“EIG”), today announced the signing of the financing for its Solar Power Concentration (CSP) plant located in the Atacama desert, in Chile. This milestone will allow the company to complete the construction of […]
Morocco Predicts Price Drop at Midelt CSP-PV Hybrid
Source: CSPToday Design innovations and a favorable development framework should see Morocco hit its lowest prices for the hybrid PV-CSP Noor Midelt project and the country is joining global support schemes to diversify its funding supply, an official at the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (Masen), said. Managed by Masen, the renewable program supported the […]
Eastern Morocco’s Concentrated Solar Power Potential Assessed
A new paper published at Solar Energy investigates Eastern Morocco’s suitability to host Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) in a multilayered assessment. Dr. Ahmed Alami Merrouni, who heads up research on Meteorology and Solar Materials Degradation at Institut de Recherche en Energie Solaire et Energies Nouvelles (IRESEN), and his team determined which parts of Eastern Morocco […]
SolarReserve Seeks Permit to Add 70MW PV to Aurora CSP
Source: RenewEconomy.com US solar company SolarReserve has sought approval to add a 70MW solar PV farm to the world leading solar tower and molten salt storage facility proposed for Port Augusta in South Australia. The plans for the additional solar PV are revealed in a development application to the South Australia Planning Commission, submitted in […]
Abengoa Awarded Two New CSP Projects in China
Source: heliocsp.com Abengoa will provide the technology and develop the engineering to the LuNeng Haixi 50 MW solar thermal tower plant project, in the Qinghai province. The company will also be responsible for providing the technology and engineering for the Royal Tech Yumen project for a 50 MW solar thermal parabolic trough plant to be […]
Researchers Reduce Intermittency in Solar Thermochemical Hydrogen Production
A new paper, presented at the SolarPACES Annual Conference proposes using ceria particles not only as the redox reactant in hydrogen production, but for also for heat transfer and storage.
Marrakesh Conference Presented Solutions for Reducing Water Use in CSP
International Conference presented innovative solutions in mirror cleaning, cooling systems, simulations Source: https://cordis.europa.eu/news/rcn/129321_en.html Concentrated solar power (CSP) is a promising electricity generation technology full of growing potential. However, traditional wet-cooled CSP plants often consume a large amount of water which especially causes a challenge in arid areas where water resources are scarce. The International Conference on […]
IEA CO2 Report – Renewables Meet 25% of Global Demand Growth
Carbon dioxide (CO2) Global energy-related CO2 emissions grew by 1.4% in 2017, reaching a historic high of 32.5 gigatonnes (Gt), a resumption of growth after three years of global emissions remaining flat. The increase in CO2 emissions, however, was not universal. While most major economies saw a rise, some others experienced declines, including the United […]
Solar Can Make Carbon Neutral Aircraft Fuel from CO2 + H2O
In the future we can mix solar heat + CO2 + H2O to make a carbon neutral kerosene (aircraft jet fuel) that will make flying climate friendly. Making thermochemical solar fuel is renewable, because sunlight, carbon dioxide and water is essentially unlimited. So solar from deserts could fuel aircraft flights for centuries while not adding […]
Redstone CSP Contract Signed After 2-Year Delay
Agreements opening the way for the construction of 27 renewable-energy independent power producer (IPP) projects, with a combined investment value of R56-billion and a combined capacity of 2 300 MW, were finally signed on Wednesday April 4, after a confidence-sapping delay of over two years.
Path to a Booming Australian Solar Thermal Energy Market
Industry response suggests an Australian concentrated solar thermal market would be well subscribed A report out from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) this month published responses from industry stakeholders on the viability of a concentrated solar thermal (CST) energy market in Australia: Paving the way for concentrated solar thermal in Australia. Only 5 gigawatts […]
Here are the Solar Fuels Captured CO2 Emissions Will Make
Source: EurekAlert! The thousands of metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted from power plants each year doesn’t have to go into the atmosphere. Researchers are optimistic that within the next decade we will be able to affordably capture CO2 waste and convert it into useful molecules for feedstock, biofuels, pharmaceuticals, or renewable fuels. On […]
US Clean Energy R&D Gets Biggest Funding Increase Since 2009
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), signed into law by US Democrats in response to the international financial meltdown of 2008, offered the biggest boost for renewables since President Carter first funded solar research in the ’70s. Today, in a repudiation of funding slashes sought by both the majority Republican Party and his own administration, […]
Libya is Latest MENA nation to Plan CSP
From CSPToday: Libya’s Misurata Free Zone (MFZ) has signed a memorandum of understanding with consultancy iQ Power to develop integrated CSP and PV projects with up to 300 MW total capacity. MFZ, the first free trade zone established on Libyan territory, has shown its desire to develop a solar energy industry, according to a iQ […]
SolarReserve Splitting Aurora’s Transmission Cost with Aussie Mining Co.
Via RenewEconomy: Oz Minerals signed a landmark deal with US-based SolarReserve, the developer of the 150MW solar tower and molten salt storage projects near Port Augusta, to share part of the cost of a new 270km high voltage transmission line. It is believed to be the first deal of its type where costs are […]
Steps for Solar Resource Assessment in CSP Projects: China
From HelioCSP: According to Solargis, China has good potential to develop CSP industry in terms of solar resources, but with strong geographic diversification. Abundant direct normal irradiance is found in the Western regions of Inner Mongolia, Tibet, Qinghai, Xinjiang and Gansu. Average annual DNI in these regions varies between 1700 and 2300 kWh/m2. For reliable […]
Morocco’s Noor III Solar Tower CSP to Deliver Power by October
Noor III, at 150 MW, the world’s second utility-scale Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) tower with molten salt storage, will deliver power to Morocco’s electricity grid by October, if not sooner. “Noor III receiver installation on tower has been finalized already, so we are ready to continue the commissioning of the plant with the solar field […]
ContourGlobal Buying Acciona’s CSP in Spain for €1.09 billion
Acciona has reached an agreement to sell its five solar thermal plants in Spain (with a combined capacity of 250MW) to ContourGlobal plc. The transaction amounts to €1.09 billion, which could increase by €27 million, to €1.12 billion, if certain milestones are met. Once completed, the deal will enable the Acciona group to reduce debt […]
Kathu CSP Plant Successfully Connected to South Africa’s Grid
The engineering and technology group SENER and Acciona achieved the connection of the 100-MW concentrated solar power (CSP) plant to the 132 kV ESKOM Distribution line on February 23, 2018. Main and auxiliary transformers have been energized which represents a relevant milestone for power plant commissioning activities. The Kathu Solar Park CSP Plant, which will supply […]
Glasspoint Inaugurates First Four Units of Miraah in Oman
The 1,021 MWth solar thermal EOR project will generate 6,000 tons of solar steam each day, one gigawatt of solar thermal energy From Glasspoint: Fremont, California, February 12th, 2018 – Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), the leading exploration and production company in the Sultanate of Oman, and GlassPoint Solar, the leading supplier of solar energy to the […]
Scientists Test World’s First Solar Fuels Reactor for Night
International solar thermal energy researchers have successfully tested CONTISOL, a solar reactor that runs on air, able to make any solar fuel like hydrogen and to run day or night – because it uses concentrated solar power (CSP) and includes thermal energy storage. The promise of solar fuels is that we could have zero carbon […]
China Plans 2 GW CSP Plant in Mongolia
From Reuters: BEIJING, Jan 25 (Reuters) – China’s SPIC Shijiazhuang Dongfang Energy said on Thursday it plans to build a high-tech solar power plant in Inner Mongolia with capacity of 2 gigawatts (GW), which would be one of the largest of its kind in the world’s top solar market. The project would cost about 46 […]
CSP Capacity Grew 2% to 5.13 GW in 2017
Report from CSPPLAZA: In 2017, global installed capacity of CSP totals 5133MW, representing an increase of 2.3% over 2016, according to statistics from CSPPLAZA research center. On the basis of 5017MW of 2016, the CSP installed capacity in 2017 showed only a slight increase for the reason that several projects haven’t put into operation, […]
Solar Heat to Make Power + Water for Namibia: Study
Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) is suited to regions with good solar resource. CSP+desalination can simultaneously solve related water scarcity. Seawater desalination can be integrated into a solar thermal energy plant using a variety of desalination technologies. Is solar-driven multi-effect distillation a financially feasible solution for water-stressed Namibia? A research study from Stellenbosch University finds that a […]
ACWA Power Ready for $1 Billion IPO
Gulf Base reports: Saudi Arabia-based ACWA Power, the power and desalination plant producer, could go public within the next two years, according to its CEO and President Paddy Padmanathan. ACWA, which has garnered a reputation for building renewable energy projects at record low prices, is looking for an initial public offering (IPO) as soon as […]
Natixis: Open Auctions, Market Confidence Driving CSP Price Records
The moment the market received a signal that a large number of gigawatts would be tendered, “costs came crashing down. That is what CSP arguably needs, and I think we’re not that far from that point.” CSP Today reports: The tender process favored by the likes of Chile and Dubai has done more than anything […]
IRENA Report 2017 Notes CSP’s “Spectacular” Cost Reductions
Renewable energy costs for the four main clean energy technologies is covered in an exhaustive new report from IRENA: Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2017. The cost trajectories for Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), solar PV, onshore and offshore wind can be found in the full report which notes: “The sharp cost reductions for CSP, solar PV, onshore and […]
Particle Receivers to Get First Commercial Trial – in Saudi Arabia
A new solar technology is twice as efficient, cutting the cost of solar thermal energy, by raising operating temperatures to 1,000°C, almost twice the 565°C molten salt temperature in current concentrated solar power (CSP) tower plants. For most innovative research in clean energy, the dreaded “Valley of Death” after lab scale success is the sad […]
Morocco’s Noor II Begins Synchronization to Grid
SEPCOIII Electric Power Construction Corporation, one of two EPCs involved in construction, (SENER, the EPS for Gemasolar is the other one) said that project synchronization to the grid of the first 10 MW of ACWA Power’s Noor II solar plant was accomplished successfully on January 10, 2018 at 16:52. Unit operating indicators were normal, marking […]
CSP puts end to Morocco electricity blackouts
Morocco’s first operating CSP plant has shown that concentrating solar power can solve the problem of energy blackouts in the peak evening hours, a senior representative of the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (MASEN) told the recent CSP Seville conference. The 160 MW Noor 1 parabolic trough power plant exceeded its objectives in year one […]
SolarReserve Achieves Key Milestone in Development of South Australia’s First Solar Thermal Power Station
ADELAIDE, Australia–(BUSINESS WIRE)–SolarReserve has received Development Approval for its Aurora Solar Energy Project, a key milestone required to build the landmark 150 megawatt solar thermal power station 30 kilometers north of Port Augusta. The approval process examined a range of critical elements including environmental, community, and social impacts of the Aurora project, which were assessed by […]
Australia Seeking Solar Hydrogen Research to Fund
Renewable Hydrogen For Export Funding Round Deadline for submissions is February 28, 2018 Following a positive response to our recent Exporting Renewable Hydrogen RFI, we are opening an R&D funding round from 20 December 2017 to 5pm AEDT 28 February 2018. ARENA will be inviting a broad range of R&D applications, from early stage R&D […]
Missing Link for Solar Hydrogen is… Ammonia?
Ammonia (NH3) is key to enabling the solar hydrogen (H2) future, says a prominent Australian researcher. Solar fuel could be stored, bottled and shipped globally in ammonia
TuNur Applied to Export CSP to EU at 8.73 Cents
According to Power Technology, TuNur applied to the Tunisian Government to begin construction of their proposed 4.5GW concentrated solar power (CSP) project in the Sahara Desert at a price for power that is expected to be 8.73 cents per kilowatt hour, much lower than suggested three months ago. [Ed note: when SolarPACES interviewed TuNur CEO […]
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