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US solar steam projects developer GlassPoint on Tuesday announced it is advancing plans to build the world’s largest industrial solar thermal project in Saudi Arabia, unveiling the next phase of development for the GlassPoint Ma’aden Technology Showcase (GMTS). GlassPoint is developing the GMTS project with the Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia (MISA). The company …
IMAGE©S.Abanades and S. Chuayboon Green iron and syngas production via continuous solar-driven agricultural waste biomass gasification combined with iron(III) oxide reduction Two international concentrated solar researchers have demonstrated using concentrated solar heat to produce green iron and syngas from renewable biomass, using no-oxygen conversion in a gasifier for a carbon-free process. In their paper, Green …
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The tubing that absorbs the solar heat reflected off the parabolic trough-shaped solar collector in Trough CSP is normally a metal. Researchers at PROMES-CNRS have instead trialed glass tubing filled with graphene-infused nanoparticles suspended in water, to improve performance. In concentrated solar thermal (CST) energy collection using parabolic trough-shaped mirrors, the heat from the sun …
Abstract: Molten salt thermal energy storage (TES) tanks ensure steady power output of concentrating solar power (CSP) plants; however, recent tank failures have highlighted the need for further analysis. Current studies primarily focus on analyzing the molten salt flow, heat transfer, and thermal efficiency. Additionally, research on the latest tank structures is limited and lacks …
Result of a 3D-Printed solar receiver of honeycomb mesh shows the heat distribution through the tubes carrying the air that acts as heat transfer fluid IMAGE©OmarBehar, KAUST A 3D-Printed solar receiver could solve some problems holding back a new technology: High-temperature solar receivers – for solar thermochemistry and industrial heat – can be prone to …
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Abstract Heliostat fields represent the primary energy input for concentrating solar-thermal power based on power tower technology. They typically account for 40 %–50 % of the implementation cost of a power tower plant. Therefore, it is essential to optimize the solar tracking accuracy of heliostats to reduce solar tracking errors that lead to deviations in …
Abstract: Wind loads are a major driver of heliostat cost. Standardized methods and tools are needed for a more detailed understanding of the static and dynamic loads of a heliostat design. This will enable cost reduction of wind-dependent heliostats to avoid unnecessarily conservative heliostat designs and increase field efficiency and reliability to reduce the risk …
High-temperature liquid sodium receivers able to run at over 700°C may allow use of modular multi-tower system configurations similar to that being developed by the Australian firm Vast Solar (now Vast) for next-generation sodium-based concentrating solar power (CSP). Unlike today’s one tall central tower encircled by one large heliostat field, a liquid sodium-based CSP system …
Mars Petcare will use this kind of parabolic trough concentrated solar thermal (CST) collectors for direct solar industrial heat and a thermal energy storage system also heated by electricity from Victoria’s solar-rich grid Mars petcare factory to tap sunlight for CST heat plus leverage Victoria’s world-leading renewable grid to electrically heat thermal energy storage. …
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Abstract: Two-step thermochemical fuel production cycles powered using concentrating solar systems offer a route to convert solar energy to chemical fuels. In this work, we offer a critical assessment of the state of the art, a detailed technical analysis of this technology in terms of theoretical limitations and potential performance, and potential paths forward in …