Spain now needs CSP for grid stability – study

Despite a renewable capacity of 2.6 times peak demand, Spain’s intermittent renewables do not provide grid needs for operating reserves and frequency stability, so they have not displaced conventional fossil technologies Source: EVWind Each MW of solar thermal power can replace each MW of gas and achieve a total transition of the electricity sector, which […]

DOE announces 7 awards to cut heliostat costs

https://cleantechnica.com/2023/06/01/heliostat-consortium-announces-funding-awards-aimed-at-lowering-costs-barriers-to-widespread-heliostat-deployment/ The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Sandia National Laboratories, co-leads of the Heliostat Consortium, announced seven awardees from a request for proposals (RFP) aimed at achieving DOE’s goals for heliostat cost reduction, sustained multifaceted innovation, and improved solar field performance. Heliostats are mirrors that track the sun in order to […]

Register for the 26th Cologne Solar Colloquium June 22

The upcoming Cologne Solar Colloquium will focus on the latest developments in “Condition Monitoring of Solar Systems”. Our aim is to bring together industry specialists and researchers to explore crucial monitoring methods, tools, and techniques that can enhance the performance of solar plants. Whether you are a researcher, an industry professional, in higher education or […]

Solar reactor attains over 20% efficiency in hydrogen production

A new solar-radiation-concentrating device produces green hydrogen at a rate of more than 2 kilowatts while maintaining efficiencies above 20%. The pilot-scale device, which is already operational under real sunlight conditions, also produces usable heat and oxygen, and its developers at the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland say it could be commercialized […]

The EuroTrough helps China Shipbuilding’s 100 MW CSP project set record

Source: Helios CSP Built by China Shipbuilding New Power, and featuring the EuroTrough, China’s largest trough CSP plant achieves a record annual output China’s largest trough solar thermal power plant, located in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, generated 330 million kilowatt-hours of electricity in the 12-month period ending on March 31 this year. Designed and […]

Power China’s 50 MW Gonghe Tower CSP has a record month

Source: CSPPlaza The daily output of Power China’s` Gonghe 50MW tower solar thermal power plant hit a record high in a single month. Recently, the latest statistics of Gonghe 50MW solar thermal power station, Qinghai Branch of China Power Construction New Energy Group, show that the cumulative power generation of the power station in April […]

Abstract Submission Period Extended to May 12 for SolarPACES 2023 Conference

SolarPACES 2023: Abstract Submission Period Extended to May 12 In response to several requests, we have decided to extend the abstract submission period by one week to Friday, May 12, 2023. You are cordially invited to submit an abstract with a maximum of two pages, explaining the significance of your work. Abstracts on these conference topics may be submitted. […]

China prioritizes CSP connection and dispatch in new rule

“The power grid company is requested to give priority support to the grid connection and dispatching of the base projects equipped with solar thermal power” says a new government planning document. Source: CSPPlaza China National Energy Administration issued the Notice Related to Promoting the Large-scale Development of Solar Thermal Power. Recently, China National Energy Administration […]

ETH seeks Assistant Professor of Solar Energy Engineering (Tenure Track)

Assistant Professor (Tenure Track) of Solar Energy Engineering The Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering (www.mavt.ethz.ch) at ETH Zurich invites applications for the above-​mentioned position. Successful applicants must demonstrate an excellent international record of research accomplishments in solar energy science and engineering. The new professor is expected to establish an ambitious, world-​class research program in […]

CSIRO’s Renewable Energy Storage Roadmap: CSP lowest cost

The CSIRO Renewable Energy Storage Roadmap identifies Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) as the lowest cost technology for long-duration renewable energy storage, among the storage technologies required to reach net zero in Australia. The CSIRO Renewable Energy Storage Roadmap outlines the significant role that concentrating solar thermal power (often referred to as CSP or CST) will play […]

DOE seeks stakeholder R&D advice to advance solar fuels

Source: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) has issued a request for information (RFI) on the technology needs and cost targets for renewable fuels produced using solar-thermal energy and thermal energy storage. SETO requests feedback from industry, academia, research laboratories, […]

2022 Blue Book on China’s CSP industry launched

China Solar Thermal Alliance to present China’s CSP status update Date: March 21, Time: 21:00 (9 PM) Beijing time UTC 13:00:00 Opening remarks: Christoph Richter, Secretariat at SolarPACES Introductory Comments: Zhifeng Wang, Chairman of China Solar Thermal Alliance Presentation of Blue Book on China’s CSP Industry 2022: Fengli Du, Secretary of China Solar Thermal Alliance […]

Sandia breaks ground on its Gen-3 particle-based CSP tech demo

The pilot at Sandia will demonstrate its next-generation high-temperature concentrated solar technology that can be used for energy storage, power production, industrial process heat, or solar fuel production. Press Release WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) celebrated the groundbreaking of its Generation 3 concentrating solar-thermal pilot facility at Sandia National Laboratories. This […]

DOE allots $1.6 billion to decarbonize coal country

“Today, Treasury and IRS, in partnership with DOE, announced the intent to release approximately $4 billion in a first round of tax credits for projects that expand U.S. supply chains for clean energy technologies and critical materials for clean energy technology production, and for projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions at industrial facilities. Approximately $1.6 […]

50 MW Hami Tower CSP project with novel STELLIO heliostats commissioned in China

[Ed: the novel STELLIO heliostats  seen here, and used in this Hami Tower CSP project, won the SolarPACES Innovation Award for 2015] MASERMIC and SBP Sonne have completed the commissioning of the 50MW HAMI tower solar plant located in CHINA, XINJIANG province. It is based on the STELLIO heliostat solar field technology. The solar plant […]

US and China lead in thermal energy storage patents

Background: Concentrated solar thermal energy uses thermal energy storage. And China currently has 30 CSP projects under construction with thermal energy storage. Various options of energy storage are described in patented solutions in the field of solar energy. They include such technologies as those using latent heat, molten materials, compressed air, and chemical reactions. In […]

The race for solar megaprojects in North Africa that attracts Europeans

Source: El Pais (Google translated from French) Between the deposits of the road that leads to Rjim Maatoug, along the Algerian border and 120 kilometers from Kébili, in the south of Tunisia, only hydrocarbon tankers pass through in an incessant ballet. This area, where identical-looking towns are threaded together, bordered by a palm grove that […]

Hydroxide molten salts tested in 20 MW thermal energy storage trial

20 MW Thermal Energy Storage Trials Hydroxide Molten Salt at the offshore energy island Bornholm Source: Recharge: Denmark’s ‘energy island’ of Bornholm is to host what is being claimed as “game changing” molten salts-based storage technology that its developer aims to deploy as a future large-scale source of renewable heat and power. Hyme Energy will […]

Solar heat to decarbonize industries gets $13 million boost from DOE

DOE Announces $24 Million Awards; $10.7 Million for Gen-3 CSP and $13.2 to Advance Concentrated Solar-Thermal Technologies for Industrial Decarbonization DOE also Releases Strategic Roadmap to Enhance Ability to Harness Solar Power, Lower Costs for Mirrors used in Concentrating Solar Power Plants WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today released a new roadmap […]

China seeks bids to build nine CSP plants

Source: CSPFocus September: Equipment Procurement Tenders- CGN New Energy Jilin 100MW CSP Project On September 2, Da’an Guangtou Zhongneng CSP Company issued a bidding announcement for the turbine generator set, steam generation system, solar concentration and heat collection system, cold salt pump, hot salt pump and thermoregulation pump of CGN New Energy Jilin 100MW CSP […]

Synhelion produces first solar syngas in Wood’s industrial-scale reforming reactor

Press Release: Paving the way for solar fuels: Jülich, Germany, August 18, 2022 Synhelion has become the first company in the world to succeed in producing syngas on an industrial scale using only solar heat as an energy source. The Swiss solar fuel pioneer successfully demonstrated this on the multi-focus solar tower of the German […]

Spain Finally Names CSP Auction Date: October

(Montel) Spain plans to auction 520 MW of renewable energy capacity on 25 October amid its ongoing effort to curb carbon emissions. The auction will award 140 MW for photovoltaic projects below 5 MW, 220 MW for solar thermal, 140 MW for biomass and 20 MW for other technologies including biogas, bioliquids, hydropower or tidal […]

Submit Particle-CSP Papers for Solar Energy’s Special Issue

Particle-based Solar Energy Capture and Storage for Concentrated Solar Power Particle-based solar thermal energy storage (TES) coupled to concentrated solar power (CSP) is an attractive pathway towards operating at elevated temperatures while extending electricity production beyond diurnal periods of on-sun operation. Operation at elevated temperatures necessitates higher solar concentration ratios at MWth-scales that are only […]

100 MW of CSP+8 Hrs Storage Breaks Ground in Xinjiang

July 18, 2022 Xinjiang: The Xinhua Power Generation Company held a groundbreaking ceremony, together with Bortala Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, celebrating the start of the firm’s 1 GW new solar energy project at Bozhou, located on the north side of G219 National Road west of Bole City at Aheqi Farm, Jinghe County in Xinjiang Province, China. […]

Rondo’s Thermal Storage to Decarbonize TITAN Cement

Press Release OAKLAND, Calif. – July 13, 2022 – TITAN Cement Group joins decarbonization and electrification investment leaders, Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Energy Impact Partners, in supporting Rondo Energy (“Rondo”) through its recent Series A financing round for the scale-up of its innovative “heat battery” technology, aiming to provide new solutions for decarbonizing power generation and […]

Webinar: What is behind China’s CSP Records and Growth?

https://youtu.be/wdC5cXR-7M8 What is the current status of China’s CSP projects? Here Fengli Du of China Solar Thermal Alliance reveals the data on China’s CSP projects to date and underway in this webinar, hosted by SolarPACES Secretariat Christoph Richter, and now available online here. China has emerged as a key driver of the future of Concentrated […]

Webinar: Presentation of Blue Book of China’s CSP Industry 2021

Zoom Webinar: Presentation of Blue Book of China’s CSP Industry 2021 Date and Time: June 27, 2022, 14:00-14:45 CEST (Central European Summer Time) Agenda: Opening: Christoph Richter, Executive Secretary SolarPACES Introductory Comments: Zhifeng Wang, Chairman of China Solar Thermal Alliance Presentation of Blue Book 2021: Fengli Du, Secretary of China Solar Thermal Alliance Q&A: Participants […]

Cosin Breaks Ground on 100 MW CSP and Thermal Storage in Gansu Province

Jinta County, Gansu Province: The Jinta Zhongguang Solar Energy 100 MW Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) project has broken ground, meeting the initial construction milestone by beginning concrete work for the receiver tower foundation. This 100MW CSP project was originally part of the first round of China’s pilot projects back in 2016. But the developer failed […]

Blue Book of China’s CSP Industry 2021 Published

The Blue Book on China’s CSP Industry 2021 lays out current detail on the performance of the current Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) projects in China, and the scale-up plan as China increases its overall renewable energy percentage on the grid. The Blue Book includes very detailed information on the performance of all of the currently […]

1,500 MW of Glasspoint Solar Steam to Decarbonize Saudi Aluminum Production

[Ed: Their GlassPoint technology won the SolarPACES Technology Innovation Awardin 2016] From CSPFocus Saudi Arabia has signed an MOU with the California-based firm GlassPoint to build the world’s biggest solar thermal steam producing plant there. The facility will generate steam directly to make aluminum.  Aluminum is used in such products as cars, computers, and cell […]

DOE Invests Half a Billion to De-risk Cheaper Energy Storage

(From Utility Dive) Dive Brief: To help commercialize emerging energy storage that can power the grid for at least 10 hours, the Department of Energy has launched a $505 million four-year initiative. It aims to lower barriers to grid energy storage, and support small-scale, behind-the-meter pilots as well as large utility-scale demonstrations. DOE’s initiative, announced […]

ATA Webinar: Capitalize on the Coming US Grid Storage Boom

Gearing up your company to capitalize on the utility-scale energy storage boom in the US A decarbonizing grid relying on variable renewable – solar PV and wind – for the lion’s share of the energy it integrates, will over time require energy services and increasingly rely on energy storage to maintain inertia and firmness. Whichever […]

US DOE: Submit Abstracts by May 6 for SolarPACES 2022

Solar Energy Technologies Office SolarPACES Conference Abstract Deadline Solar Power and Chemical Energy Systems (SolarPACES) is the premier international conference for concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP) research and development. In 2022 it will be hosted by the United States, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Researchers who wish to present at the conference must submit an extended abstract […]

China’s CSP at Hami Expected to be 250 MW by 2025

New energy installed capacity, accounting for 70.2% of total installed capacity, will comprise 34 GW, with wind power comprising 27 GW, photovoltaic 6.5 GW, and CSP 250 MW. Source: China National Solar Thermal Alliance According to the news from the Hami Financial Media Center on March 12, with the implementation of the “Xinjiang Electric Power […]

How Europe can Cut Natural Gas Imports from Russia significantly within a Year

IEA  provides 10-Point Plan to European Union for reducing reliance on Russian supplies by over a third while supporting European Green Deal, with emergency options to go further Download image Do not sign any new gas supply contracts with Russia. [Impact: Enables greater diversification of supply this year and beyond] Replace Russian supplies with gas […]

ACWA Power’s Redstone CSP Draws Down Debt in 9th Month of Construction

Acwa Power’s Redstone project  construction is well underway  and is currently in its ninth month of construction, with commercial operation scheduled to start in Q4 2023. The engineering works for the project is over 58% completed, whereas procurement and construction works stand at over 45% and 6% respectively. A key construction milestone, tower foundation for […]

April 11 Deadline to Tender for 200MW CSP in Botswana

Previous post: Botswana Looking for Bids for 200 MW of CSP Interested independent power producers (IPPs) have until April 11th, 2022 to apply for the pre-qualification process for the construction of two thermodynamic solar power plants in Botswana. Botswana’s Ministry of Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy Security has issued a call for expressions of interest from […]

Info on SETO 2022 Funding for CSP/CST Technologies

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) announced the Concentrating Solar-Thermal Power (CSP) Fiscal Year 2022 Research, Development, and Demonstration (RD&D) funding program, which will award up to $25 million for innovative research and development projects in CSP technologies. These projects will accelerate the large-scale development and deployment of solar technologies. CSP technologies offer value as renewable energy resources that can […]

NREL Starts SETO-Funded Study of Wind Impacts on Solar Collectors

High wind loads increase structural design costs of concentrating solar power (CSP) collector structures, such as heliostats and parabolic troughs. In a new two-year project, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will work with the Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) to conduct two comprehensive at-scale field measurements […]

“Sun-to-Liquids” Solar Fuels R&D Wins Recognition at Cop26

The Sun-to-Liquids project has been developed by a consortium integrated by the leading European solar research laboratories and CSP industry leaders: ETH Zurich, DLR, Bauhaus Luftfahrt, IMDEA Energy, HyGear Technology & Services B.V and Abengoa. The aim is to produce renewable transportation fuels from water and CO2 with solar energy: The first synthesis of solar […]

Namibia Readies Bidding for CSP in 2022

At the 2021 SolarPACES Conference, NamPower generation projects head Grant Muller laid out the national power company’s now finalized plans for a CSP project in Namibia, for between 50 MW and 130 MW, with storage. After 4 years of preparations, it is ready for its first CSP auction in 2022. The small African nation has […]

These 25 Advanced CSP & CST Technologies to Share $33 Million US DOE Funding

The Solar Energy Technologies Office Fiscal Year 2021 Photovoltaics and Concentrating Solar-Thermal Power Funding Program (SETO FY21 PV and CSP) funds research and development projects that advance PV and CSP to help eliminate carbon dioxide emissions from the energy sector. On October 12, 2021, SETO announced that 40 projects were awarded $40 million. Twenty-five of those projects will receive almost $33 million to research and develop CSP technologies that help […]

IEA Report: Raise Investment and R&D to Reach Green Hydrogen Goal by 2050

IEA report calls for the development of national hydrogen strategies and roadmaps, new incentives for low-carbon hydrogen, and new certification requirements alongside increased research and infrastructure spending. Source: Utility Dive  Dive Brief: Global electrolyzer capacity for producing hydrogen could reach up to 89 GW by 2030 thanks in part to $37 billion in government spending […]

DLR-CSP Services Solar Flux Measurement System Wins International CSP Tech Award

DLR and CSP Services Win the SolarPACES 2021 Award for their Solar Flux Density Measurement System. New measuring system determines the flux density of receivers in solar tower power plants This year’s SolarPACES Technology Award goes to a team of researchers from the DLR Institute of Solar Research and CSP Services. The measurement method they […]

View the 2021 SolarPACES Conference Program Now

The 27th SolarPACES conference is coming up on September 27 – October 01! We are excited to inform you that the program of this key event on Solar Power & Chemical Energy Systems is now available online. You will get excellent insight into the newest research and field results in more than 140 talks and 110 poster […]

SolarPACES 2021 Registration Now Open

The online registration is now available on the conference website. As you know, SolarPACES 2021 will be our second online conference, held from September 27 – October 01, 2021. SolarPACES 2020 revealed the many benefits of being online, with more of us able to share our work and participate from our home office, and we expect to make […]

RFP to Demo Long Duration Energy Storage Innovations

[This “only pre-commercial” and “over 6 hours” storage RFP would favor thermal energy storage concepts currently near commercial readiness.] The New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA) is calling for project submissions to advance, develop or field-test energy storage technologies that can address challenges associated with the cost, performance or technical integration of […]

Submit Papers on Solar Thermochemical Innovations to “Energies” Special Issue by Sept 1

The scientific journal ‘Energies’ is arranging a Special Issue on ‘Solar Thermochemical Production of Material Commodities’ with a deadline for submissions on 1 September, 2021. We, as guest editors, are pleased to invite you to submit high-quality unpublished contributions on recent advances in applications of concentrated solar radiation to high-temperature industrial processes with a strong […]

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Robert Pitz-Paal receives Energy Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Robert Pitz-Paal receives Energy Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Robert Pitz-Paal, director at the Institute of Solar Research of the German Aerospace Center, has been named the 2021 recipient of the Frank Kreith Energy Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). The award was established in 2005 […]

“Solar Power Around the Clock” report released by the German Association for Concentrated Solar Power (DCSP)

Since 2013, the German Association for Concentrated Solar Power has been committed to the generation and use of electricity, heat and fuels from concentrated solar technologies. Its members cover the entire CSP value chain. This ranges from project development and planning, engineering services, component supply and system integration to the ownership and operation of solar […]

Bill Gates-backed CSP “Sunlight Refinery” Heliogen Raises $108 Million

HELIOGEN RAISES $108 MILLION TO ADVANCE NEW NON-INTERMITTENT RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGY FOR HEAT, POWER, AND GREEN HYDROGEN Two funding rounds accelerate global deployment of Heliogen’s breakthrough AI-assisted concentrated solar thermal technology Press Release: PASADENA, California, June 15, 2021 – Heliogen, the renewable energy technology company unlocking the power of sunlight to replace fossil fuels, today announced that it has raised $108 million in […]

Sign Up for June 17th Cologne Solar Colloquium: Industrial Heat Technologies

The DLR Institute of Solar Research will focus in the 24th Cologne Solar Colloquium on solar process heat from low temperature to high temperature applications. Speakers from research and industry partners will present current usage, future perspectives and will report on their experiences with existing systems. In the context of high temperature solar process heat […]

100 MW Redstone Solar with 12 Hours Daily Thermal Energy Storage Closes Financing

PRESS RELEASE ACWA Power has led South Africa’s largest renewable energy project Redstone CSP to financial close The ZAR 11.6 billion Redstone concentrated solar power (CSP) plant will power 200,000 households upon completion Commercial operation scheduled to start in Q4 2023 Johannesburg, South Africa, 10 May 2021: ACWA Power, a leading Saudi developer, investor and […]

Balloons Test Environmental Safety of Advanced Solar Power Tower Tech

Source: Sandia National Laboratories ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  A team of researchers from Sandia National Laboratories recently used tethered balloons to collect samples of airborne dust particles to ensure the safety of a falling-particle receiver for concentrating solar power, an emerging solar power technology. (Photo by Randy Montoya) Click on the thumbnail for a high-resolution image. Researchers from […]

New DOE Funding for CSP: Webinar April 12

Description On March 25, 2021, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) Fiscal Year 2021 Photovoltaics and Concentrating Solar-Thermal Power (FY21 PV and CSP) funding program, which will provide $39.5 million for projects that will advance solar PV and CSP research and development (R&D) and help eliminate carbon dioxide emissions from the […]

SolarPACES Lifetime Award Winner Professor Valeriano Ruiz has passed away

The 2010 SolarPACES Lifetime Award Winner Professor Valeriano Ruiz passed away earlier this week. From SolarPACES we would like to express our sympathy and condolences to his family and friends. Professor Valeriano Ruiz was among the earliest pioneers of solar thermal technology in Spain beginning in the 1970s, including pioneering the teaching of solar concentrating technologies as Professor on Thermodynamics […]

Long Duration Energy Storage gets New R&D Lab in Biden’s DOE

Source: Energy Storage News A US$75 million national research and development (R&D) facility for energy storage is expected to be up and running by 2025, the US Department of Energy (DOE) said yesterday. Called the Grid Storage Launchpad (GSL), 30 separate research laboratories will be hosted at the site including technology prototype testing chambers and […]

March 1 Deadline for Sandia R&D Funding Awards for CSP Technologies

Sandia’s National Solar Thermal Test Facility launches R&D Voucher Program to further Concentrating Solar Power technologies January 29, 2021 9:21 pmPublished by Kelly Sullivan Sandia National Laboratories is currently seeking applications from industry, academia, research laboratories, government agencies, and individuals to further technologies related to Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) at the National Solar Thermal Test Facility […]

EuroTrough Helped Cut Ramp-Up Time of China’s 100 MW Urat CSP


Press Release: schlaich bergermann partner (sbp)  The German solar engineering consultancy schlaich bergermann partner (sbp) supplied the EuroTrough solar collector for the 100MW Urat CSP project in Inner Mongolia, the largest commercial parabolic trough project in China. The Urat project was developed and realized as part of the first round of the Chinese renewable energy demonstration […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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, […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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. […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]