Spanish engineering firm Sener says that the award of a grant by the US Department of Energy will help it to develop an innovative thermal storage system for use in concentrating solar power (CSP) plants.
Sener has been awarded a contract worth up to $3.1 million by the DOE that will support its High Efficiency Thermal Storage System for Solar Plants (HELSOLAR) project. The award is part of a $62 million funding opportunity announced by the DOE in May aimed at speeding up the commercialization and development of cutting-edge solar technologies.
Under its contract, Sener is aiming to develop a high temperature solid storage concept that uses graphite. Twelve other companies have also received funding from the DOE for projects aimed at improving the performance and reduce the cost of CSP plants.
Several of the projects focus on the development and use of thermal storage systems, which allow solar plants to produce electricity overnight or in cloudy conditions.
Other awards announced by the DOE include $10.6 million for Abengoa Solar to develop a new power tower technology, and $10.8 million for eSolar to design, build and test a CSP plant using fundamentally new components.
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