Synhelion and CEMEX make further progress toward the world’s first fully solar-powered cement plant

Press Release: Aug 3 2023 Synhelion and Cemex announced today a significant milestone in their joint effort to develop fully solar-driven cement production: the scaling of their technology to industrially-viable levels. This includes the continuous production of clinker, the most energy-intensive part of cement manufacturing, Read More …

Current CSP Research Funding Opportunities

Current CSP Research Funding Opportunities

August 2023 DOE heliostat prize submissions due Aug 31 The American-Made Heliostat Prize is a $3 million competition designed to accelerate technology innovation through the design, development, and demonstration of key components of heliostats. Heliostats are devices that tilt mirrors to track the sun and Read More …

Registration open for September: SFERA-III Doctoral Colloquium and Summer School

𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟰𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝗙𝗘𝗥𝗔-𝗜𝗜𝗜 𝗗𝗼𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 📅 11 – 15 September 2023 🔎 Focus topic summer school: Smart CSP: how smart tools, devices and software can help improve the design and operation of concentrating solar power technologies. 🗣 💻 DLR Read More …

Decarbonizing the German industrial thermal energy use with solar, hydrogen, and other options–Recommendations for the world

Read the full paper comparing Germany’s green industrial heat options at Science Direct Abstract This paper is based on a position paper of the German Industry Association Concentrated Solar Power e.V. to the German government and discusses options on how to decarbonize the heat demand Read More …

BA student devises algorithm to optimize Tower CSP preheating strategy

Much of the research covered at SolarPACES in concentrated solar power (CSP) is advanced by international post-docs and professors, but as the need for climate solutions advances, it is drawing the attention of younger researchers with STEM backgrounds in mathematics, physics and chemistry. During her Read More …

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 Read More …

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 Read More …

“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 Read More …

EuroTrough Helped Cut Ramp-Up Time of China’s 100 MW Urat Trough 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 Read More …

Capabilities of Each of the Solar Fuels Research Institutions

Capabilities of Each of the Solar Fuels Research Institutions

NATION; CITY INSTITUTE ITEM: 2020 STATUS DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATION CONTACT Australia; Canberra ANU High-Flux Solar Simulator 18×Xe lamps, focal heat 15 kWth with approx 10,000 suns. Lab is equipped with gas supplies. Professor Wojciech Lipinski Australia; Canberra ANU Little Dish 20 m² dish concentrator, with peak CR Read More …

World’s Largest Solar Reactor Will Split H2O into Hydrogen

On 28 November 2017, the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR), together with international project partners, presented what is currently the largest solar-chemical installation for the production of hydrogen. In the HYDROSOL_Plant project, scientists and companies have jointly further developed the process of Read More …

Current Job Openings in CSP Research and on CSP Projects

September 2023 Manager, Solar Thermal Testing and Demonstration We are seeking a highly motivated manager to lead the Solar Thermal Testing & Demonstration Department within the Renewable Energy Technologies Group (Org 8920). The Group conducts fundamental and applied R&D to improve performance, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness Read More …

Current Research Task Leaders

Current Research Task Leaders

Task Operating Agents – Organization Staff Michael Wagner Operating Agent – Task I Solar Thermal Electric Systems University of Wisconsin Madison, Wisconsin United States of America Dr Woei Saw Operating Agent – Task II Solar Chemistry Research University of Adelaide Adelaide SA 5005, Australia Dr. Read More …

CSP Research Tasks

CSP Research Tasks

Tasks Annexes of the IEA SolarPACES Technology Collaborative Programme SolarPACES is an IEA Technology Collaborative Programme. As such, it has a structure similar to the more than 60 programs currently operating through the IEA. Each of them reflect the need to efficiently coordinate between international Read More …

TASK II: Solar Chemistry Research

TASK II: Solar Chemistry Research

Operating Agent: Dr Woei Saw, The University of Adelaide, woei.saw@adelaide.edu.au Nature of the work & Objectives Task II addresses the demonstration, scale-up, and market penetration of solar-driven thermochemical processes for the production of fuels (e.g. hydrogen, syngas, methanol, kerosene, diesel) and materials (e.g. metals – Read More …