Abstract: Leveraging solar thermal energy to drive the chemical looping reforming of methane (CLRM) is a promising method of efficiently and selectively reforming methane to produce syngas using renewable energy. In this work, the role of catalytically active nickel...
innovation
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...
1414 Degrees readies silicon for its high temperature thermal energy storage
1414 Degrees has reached a major milestone in the development of its SiBox Demonstration Module. Construction is almost complete, meaning that the company is now confident enough to move forward with the installation of its thermal energy storage media...
Innovation in its volumetric absorber takes OVR efficiency to 90%
With innovation in its core component – the volumetric absorber – the Open Volumetric Receiver (OVR) can reach 90% efficiency and beyond
How hot solar aviation fuel (thermochemistry heated by solar mirrors) took off
A “hot solar” tower fuel plant for thermochemical aviation fuel from H2O + CO2 is finally getting news coverage. What was your breakthrough?
On-Sun Test of Novel Solar Combined-Cycle Finds…
A novel solar open air receiver is paired with a Brayton combined cycle power plant, combining these two technologies for the first time
Current Award Winners
Winners of the 2022 SolarPACES Awards: SolarPACES Chair Gilles Flamant presented the award to Dr. Christoph Falter, on behalf of Bauhaus Luftfahrt, Dr. Johannes Grobbel, on behalf of DLR, Dr. Alon Lidor, on behalf of ETH Zurich and Dr. Charles-Alexis Asselineau, on...
Why Lunar Engineering is an Exciting R&D Field for the “Hot Solar”
Out-of-this-world engineering challenges of manufacturing on the Moon hold promise for Concentrated Solar Thermal (CST)
A Nanotech Cermet Coating is Just One of Many Gen3 CSP Innovations
Innovating new energy technologies is more akin to making a movie with a cast and crew of thousands than the stereotype of the one lone inventor in a garage coming up with the whole thing alone. An example is the US Department of Energy grant to try three different...
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...
Could a Perovskite make Cheaper Solar Hydrogen?
A perovskite may be more cost-effective than ceria for solar-driven thermochemical hydrogen production, a new paper suggests. One perovskite formulation that works at a slightly lower temperature than ceria is explored by Xin Qian in the paper Outstanding Properties...
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,...
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...
MIT Proposes PV to Discharge Energy from 2,400°C Silicon Thermal Storage
The MIT team estimates their thermal “battery” designed for long duration - 100 hours or more - would be half the cost of today’s cheapest grid-scale energy storage; pumped hydro. A very intriguing idea for long-duration gigawatt-scale grid thermal energy storage...
First-of-its-Kind Experiment with Liquid Metals in Thermocline Energy Storage at Karlsruhe
One of the ways to cut costs in thermal energy storage, whether standalone or as part of tower Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) is to use heat transfer fluids able to reach higher temperatures, and with a wider working range between hot and cold than today’s molten...
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...
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
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.
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?
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
Latest In: