Solar Thermal

Heliostats and a solar tower at the Ivanpah Solar Project, owned by NRG Energy, Bright Source Energy, Bechtel, and Google. Photo by Dennis Schroeder, NREL.

$3 Million for 6 Projects to Advance Heliostat Technology & Workforce for Commercial Readiness

Successful Projects Will Help Lower Cost of Concentrating Solar-Thermal Power and Support the Next Generation of Highly Trained Workers Heliostats are large mirrors that track the sun to reflect and direct its rays—and they are critical for efficient, cost-effective concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP) plants. When hundreds or thousands of heliostats … [continued]

U.S. DOE Announces $33M to Deploy Solar Technologies to Decarbonize America’s Industrial Sector

Nine Projects Across Seven States Will Support Solar-Powered Production of Hydrogen and Lower Emissions from the Aviation, Food and Beverage, and Other Sectors WASHINGTON, D.C. — In support of the Biden–Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $33 million for nine projects across … [continued]

A solar mirror faces the New Mexico sunset at the National Solar Thermal Test Facility (NSTTF) at Sandia Labs.

National Solar Thermal Test Facility & University of Arizona Partner for HelioCon Project

Sandia’s National Solar Thermal Test Facility is partnering with the University of Arizona’s Professor J. Roger Angel for one of four projects the Heliostat Consortium awarded last year. The project, “Twisting Heliostats with Closed Loop Tracking,” targets the U.S. Department of Energy’s goals for heliostat cost reduction, sustained multifaceted innovation, and improved solar field performance. The project is … [continued]

Image courtesy of CSIRO

Request for Information: Receiver & Reactors for Concentrating Solar-Thermal Power Plants and Solar Industrial Process…

On January 22, 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) issued a request for information (RFI) to better understand technology development needs and commercialization opportunities for receivers and reactors used in concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP) plants for electricity generation and concentrating solar-thermal (CST) plants for … [continued]

Solar oven designed by Steen Carlsen

Solar Oven — Simple & Crucial

Last year, in the the spring, I met Steen Carlsen. He has travelled extensively in Asia and East Africa, including Zambia, which is why I came to hear of him. Steen has a background in electronics and electrical engineering and we have had many interesting conversations already. Unfortunately, Steen is … [continued]