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, …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

50MW CSP pilot in Hami breaks another generation record with 1,167.6 MWh in 24 hours

Hami 50 MW CSP IMAGE ©CSTA Source: CSPPlaza On May 19th, the Hami Molten Salt Tower 50MW CSP Project generated 1,167.6 MWh in a single day, its all-time highest since commencing operation, according to offtaker Shenergy Power. China Solar Thermal Alliance had noted a previous one-day record of 1.0315 MWh in 2024. Hami was an …

Could waste brine from desalination plants help make steel greener?

A novel BALIO desalination method is designed to enable green steel from Western Australia’s Pilbara region iron ores At Perth’s Curtin University in Western Australia, Lina Hockaday is leading a team researching the use of waste brine to upgrade iron ore in a different way, so it can be used to make green steel. Right …

China General Nuclear (CGN) proposes first 100 MW Tower CSP in Brazil

Source: CSTA via Brazil Energy From CGN Brazil: In partnership with the Government of Piauí, we are advancing the structuring of an innovative initiative for the development of concentrated solar power (CSP) technology with thermal storage — still unprecedented in Brazil. The agreement, signed with the Piauí Institute of Technology, provides for technical, economic and …