Australia’s science agency CSIRO announced that its concentrated solar thermal research facility in Newcastle, New South Wales had a breakthrough as part of research investigating the potential of “falling ceramic particles” to capture and store
CST isn’t entirely new. The basic idea dates back to the 1800s when European inventors tinkered with sunlight concentration. In recent decades, several different concentrated solar thermal power technologies have evolved. They range from a parabolic dish circled by mirrors to tower systems filled with molten salt.
Traditional CSTs are limited by the heat transfer fluids they use. Common fluids, like molten salt or high-temperature oil, can only handle up to 600°C and 400°C, respectively. Unlike traditional methods that rely on steel tubes, the particles fall freely. This approach avoids the heat limitations of steel. Once heated, they’re stored in a silo. When needed, they’re used to produce steam for power generation or other industrial tasks.While successful, developing the process was not without its own challenges. When particles fall too fast, they spread out. This lets sunlight through and reduces efficiency. The answer was a ‘catch and release’ method.
CSIRO’s pilot system in Newcastle has 400 mirrors. However, a full-scale one might use over 10,000 larger mirrors. These can generate power similar to a 100 MW coal plant.; it’s how to safely and efficiently convert that energy into heat and store it for later use,” researcher Wes Stein said. “The power generation from CST technology resembles a coal-fired power plant without the coal. It uses the same turbine. Typicaluse a steam turbine that operates at 540 degrees.
“Process heat is the thermal energy used in industrial processes. And it accounts for over 20% of Australia’s total energy use and emissions. There is now strong industry interest in how to abate thermal emissions,” he said.