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Improved Storage for Solar Thermal Power Plants

Written by Philip Proefrock on 27/09/10


Another big grant recipient from the six seriously geeky developments that received USDOE funding as part of the ARPA-E program is a program to develop thermal energy storage with supercritical fluids from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).

We've noted that the State of California has started approving solar-thermal power plants, and Google is even involved in research for solar-thermal power; it is a technology that has languished for some years, but is now starting to gain wider notice and application.

Presently, solar thermal power plants use a two-tank molten salt method for energy storage. Developing a supercritical fluid thermal storage system promises increased power storage and lower cost for solar thermal power plants. The proposed system is expected to have twice the energy storage density of current two-tank molten salt systems and cost less than 70% of what current systems cost.

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written by shasta, September 28, 2010
Well let’s hope it works. Contrary to popular belief it is not really necessary to be about to run solar power plants 24/7 but being able to store heat would allow the plant to adjust load to when it is needed most and will also allow the plant to operate in the evening hours after sunset. Another huge advantage would be being able to build oversized solar fields. Now we can only build fields that are the same size as what your power plant would produce on the best day. If you build them bigger the heat would just be wasted now. The ability to store heat and adjust load would be a major advantage for solar thermal over other renewables.
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Why not use geothermal instead?
written by Peter, September 28, 2010
Geothermal avoids the necessity to store heat energy, since it is already 'stored' underground ready for extraction. No need to build vast solar collector arrays either.

I am not referring to volcanic geothermal, but rock geothermal which is available wherever there are large granite bodies. The heat is the result of radioactive decay.
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written by Claire, September 28, 2010
Totally agree with shasta. I hadn't even realized that thermal storage was much of an option yet! Why has the technology languished for so long, if scientists knew about it?
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written by Claire, September 28, 2010
I agree with shasta--increased storage capabilities would be a huge advancement to what we have now. I hadn't realized using superfluids was a way to do that! Why do you think solar-thermal has languished for so long though, if scientists knew about it and understood its promise?
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It's all about Funding
written by Rick, October 05, 2010
Why has it languished until now? One word: funding. These projects are just starting to get the funding they deserve.

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