New generation of industrial solar

[ny_quant]

Most concentrated solar power plants today use molten salt as the heat storage medium and operate at around 560º C. Facilities that operate at higher temperatures are more efficient, which translates into lower electricity prices. According to a Sandia Labs press release, the new facility will use a sand-like material composed of ceramic bauxite particles. They will be released at the top of a tower system, where gravity pulls them through a so-called falling particle receiver (FPR). On their way to the ground, they pass through a beam of concentrated sunlight that heats them.

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has reported that energy generation and installation costs of concentrated solar power (CSP) projects fell sharply in 2018, down more than 40% from 2010... IRENA [in 2018] sees CSP LCOE dropping to the range of 6–10¢/kWh in the near future.

А теперь планируют снизить стоимость до 5 центов за квтч к 2030 году.

Фото отсюда, там же и более подробный пересказ по-русски.

Comments

[misha-b.livejournal.com]

Perhaps this technology also partially resolved the energy storage problem?

[ny-quant.livejournal.com]

It'd be a marginal improvement to already existing technology.

[misha-b.livejournal.com]

It could be significant potentially. Ability to store energy is an advantage over solar panels.