Chile Concentrated Solar Power builder launches carbon trading while hunting load

Cerro Dominador’s entrance into global carbon offset scheme will top up income and diversify revenue risk but securing power buyers is the priority, Fernando Gonzalez, CEO of project company EIG Atacama Management, told Reuters Events. Last month, Cerro Dominador 1 became the first large-scale solar project in Chile to sell carbon credits into a global …

Kalulushi concentrated solar power plant (CSP) in Zambia

The Zambian subsidiary of the Chinese giant Sinohydro has been chosen to carry out the civil engineering work for the construction of the Kalulushi solar concentrated power plant (SCP) in the copper belt province. The project is being developed by the Independent Power Producer (IPP) Margam Valley Solar Energy Corporation. In Zambia, the results of …

Sandia’s NSTTF facilitates ground-breaking experiments this summer

World’s first particle-to-supercritical CO2 heat-exchanger system and on-sun falling particle receiver connected to a supercritical CO2 loop testing to take place. Sandia National Laboratories’ National Solar Thermal Test Facility (NSTTF) will host a number of “firsts” in 2020, including testing a particle-to-supercritical CO2 heat-exchanger system, and the world’s first on-sun falling particle receiver connected to …

US Department of Energy Funds New Solar Business Innovation

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced that the Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) will award $12.3 million to 11 small solar companies from 9 states as part of DOE’s Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) program. These new projects are part of the second phase of the programs, which help companies commercialize their …

The importance of Ashalim Concentrated Solar Power plant in Israel

On a large plot of barren desert adjacent to Moshav Ashalim, a remarkable, long-term experiment is unfolding. Three independent consortia, each employing a different kind of solar technology, are learning how to operate their giant power plants as effectively as possible under the constantly changing weather conditions. Each consortium was contracted to build a solar …

Industry Shares its Experience to Advance Next Generation Concentrated Solar Power

Engineers generally tend to be solutions-oriented, and engineers in Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) are no different. A history of making things better than they were is why we now have advanced technologies. As Hal Harvey, founder of Energy Innovation told the NYT opinion columnist Tom Friedman: “A prime difference between the Enlightenment and the Dark …

The Concentrated Solar Power industry has become increasingly diverse

The Concentrated Solar Power industry has become increasingly diverse geographically, in terms of the location of commercial plants as well as the origins of developers, investors and contractors involved in project implementation. CSP projects that either entered operations or were under construction during 2019 involved lead developers and investors from at least eight countries including …

Concentrated Solar Power capacity grew 11% in 2019 to 6.2 GW

Global Concentrated Solar Power capacity grew 11% in 2019 to 6.2 GW, with 600 MW of capacity coming online. Although this was well below the average annual increase (24%) of the past decade, Concentrating Solar Power continued to spread to new markets, including France, Israel and Kuwait. China and South Africa also brought new plants …

U.S. unveils global Concentrated Solar Power learnings

The US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) published June 12 the world’s first global best practice report for Concentrated Solar Power plants. The report sets out recommendations to improve the performance and reliability of Concentrating Solar Power tower and trough plants, using feedback from 80% of global CSP capacity. Many of the problems faced by …

World’s First Utility-Scale Molten Salt Fresnel Concentrated Solar Power Plant Connects to China’s Grid

The China Dunhuang Dacheng 50MW molten salt linear Fresnel CSP project plant has now officially begun commercial operation on June 19, 2020. To celebrate the occasion of commercial operation of the first ever molten salt Fresnel CSP occasion, the developers and contractors held a commissioning ceremony. First in the world, the 50MW molten salt Fresnel …