DOE-backed CSP demo breaks ground in New Mexico

The US Department of Energy (DOE) on Friday announced the start of construction work on a high-temperature concentrating solar power (CSP) pilot facility described as the culmination of a USD-100-million (EUR 93.2m) research effort launched in 2017.

Sandia National Laboratory previously got USD 25 million to build, test and operate the Generation 3 (Gen3) CSP facility at the National Solar Thermal Test Facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The project revolves around the use of sand-like ceramic particles that can withstand temperatures greater than 800 degrees Celsius compared to the 565 degrees Celsius achievable with molten salt.

According to DOE, these particles can be used to transfer and store heat or power a supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) turbine, potentially providing 100 MW of power continuously, around the clock, at a low cost.

The project is seen to be completed next year. DOE hopes it will prove that a particle-based plant could achieve the objective of making electricity-plus-storage from CSP at USD 0.05 per kWh.

“This pilot facility will demonstrate how CSP systems can meet the challenges of providing long-duration energy storage while reducing costs and complexity for solar thermal technology. At the same time, it also provides a pathway to commercialization for industrial process heat,” explained Alejandro Moreno, Acting Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

(USD 1.0 = EUR 0.932)

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