Month: June 2026

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Published at Nature Energy – The PAINT database for operational concentrating solar power plant data following FAIR data principles

Abstract: Integrating renewable energy is critical for maintaining grid stability while striving towards global climate goals. Concentrating solar power tower plants offer a promising solution but their competitiveness is currently hindered by high operational costs, limited data availability and slow adoption of emerging technologies. To address these barriers, here we introduce PAINT, a FAIR (findable, …

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China General Nuclear introduces novel high temperature Trough with Tower CSP in Qinghai

The 350MW solar project at Delingha solar park in Qinghai by CGN will combine 3 Towers with Trough CSP [Ed: Till now, Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) using parabolic Trough technology has been limited in efficiency by the temperature limit of the heat transfer oil to around 400°C. Tower CSP with molten salts can achieve 565°C …

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Published at Ceramics International – Upcycling copper slag into high-performance spinel-based ceramics with integrated solar absorption and storage

Abstract: Solid solar absorption/storage material (SSAM) is the crucial component for next generation concentrating solar power (CSP) system, which could promote global carbon neutrality. However, the comprehensive absorption/storage performance of SSAM at low cost has not been realized, thereby hindering its practical application. To address this problem, Fe/Si-rich copper slag, as abundant solid waste, was …

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Questions about China’s recent surge in CSP? Here are some answers

With China’s massive state-owned enterprises (SOE) like China General Nuclear, PowerChina and Three Gorges (famous for the 22MW dam) completing 26 full-scale concentrated solar power (CSP) projects in the last few years, and with even more than that under construction, the country is the new global leader in CSP deployment. I have many questions, like …

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The optimal internal receiver geometry for high temperature solar fuels

Concentrated solar power researchers have long known that porous ceramic “volumetric” receivers can deliver very high temperatures. What a new study from Cranfield University shows is that the internal shape of the cavity impacts heat retention. After testing different polygonal internal geometries, they found that the nine‑sided design – the nonagon – holds onto more …

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Themis Powder2Power particle-based CSP begins commissioning in France

  Source: Powder2Power The Powder2Power project has reached a major milestone at the Themis solar tower in Targasonne, France, where the project MW-scale fluidised particle-based Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) prototype is approaching completion. Over the past two years, the consortium has transformed the existing Themis research infrastructure into a new demonstration platform designed specifically for …

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