CSP dish engines, which provide high solar concentration and are in use globally, currently hold the world record for solar-to-electric system efficiency at 31.4%. The SunShot Initiative funds (R&D) on dish/engine systems and related aspects within the industry, national laboratories and universities to meet the SunShot goals. An extensive set of core capabilities at the national laboratories support the R&D endeavors.
Industry Awards
- 3M Company: Next-Generation Solar Collectors for CSP (CSP SunShot FOA)
- 3M Company: Cleanable and Hardcoat Coatings for Increased Durability of Silvered Polymeric Mirrors (CSP R&D FOA)
- Abengoa Solar: Reducing the Cost of Thermal Energy Storage for Parabolic Trough Solar Power Plants (Thermal Storage FOA)
- Abengoa Solar: Advanced Polymeric Reflector for CSP Applications (CSP R&D FOA)
- Acciona Solar: Indirect, Dual-Media, Phase Changing Material Modular Thermal Energy Storage System (Thermal Storage FOA)
- Acciona Solar: Sensible Heat, Direct, Dual-Media Thermal Energy Storage Module (Thermal Storage FOA)
- Brayton Energy: Brayton Solar Power Conversion System (CSP R&D FOA)
- General Atomics: Baseload CSP Generation Integrated with Sulfur-Based Thermochemical Heat Storage (Baseload CSP FOA)
- General Atomics: Thermochemical Heat Storage for CSP Based on Multivalent Metal Oxides (Thermal Storage FOA)
- Halotechnics: Deep Eutectic Salt Formulations Suitable as Advanced Heat Transfer Fluids (Thermal Storage FOA)
- Infinia: Innovative Application of Maintenance-Free Phase-Change Thermal Energy Storage for Dish Engine Systems (Thermal Storage FOA)
- Infinia: Innovative Phase Change Thermal Energy Storage Solution for Baseload Power (Baseload CSP FOA)
- Infinia: Maintenance-Free Stirling Engine for High-Performance Dish CSP (CSP R&D FOA)
- PPG: Next-Generation Low-Cost Reflector (Baseload CSP FOA)
- Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne: Solar Power Tower Receiver Development (CSP R&D FOA)
- SENER: High-Efficiency Thermal Storage System for Solar Plants (Baseload CSP FOA)
- Southwest Research Institute: CSP Tower Air Brayton Combustor (CSP SunShot FOA)
- Southwest Research Institute: Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Turbo-Expander and Heat Exchangers (CSP SunShot FOA)
- Terrafore: Heat Transfer and Latent Heat Storage in Inorganic Molten Salts for CSP Plants (Thermal Storage FOA)
National Laboratory Awards
- Argonne National Laboratory: High-Efficiency Thermal Energy Storage System for CSP (National Laboratory R&D)
- Argonne National Laboratory: Chemically Reactive Working Fluids (CSP SunShot FOA)
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory: Low-Cost, Lightweight Solar Concentrators (CSP SunShot FOA)
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory: Degradation Mechanisms and Development of Protective Coatings for TES and HTF Containment Materials (National Laboratory R&D)
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory: 10-Megawatt Supercritical-CO2 Turbine (CSP SunShot FOA)
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory: Nanomaterials for Thermal Energy Storage in CSP Plants (CSP Recovery Act)
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory: Low-Cost Self-Cleaning Reflector Coatings for CSP Collectors (National Laboratory R&D)
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory: Integrated Solar Thermochemical Reaction System (CSP SunShot FOA)
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory: Thermochemical Energy Storage for Stirling CSP Systems (CSP Recovery Act)
- Sandia National Laboratories: Dish/Stirling High-Performance Thermal Storage (National Laboratory R&D)
- Savannah River National Laboratory: Fundamental Corrosion Studies in High-Temperature Molten Salt Systems for Next-Generation CSP Systems (National Laboratory R&D)
- Savannah River National Laboratory: Low-Cost Metal Hydride Thermal Energy Storage System for CSP Systems (National Laboratory R&D)
University Awards
- Boston University: Self-Cleaning CSP Collectors (CSP SunShot FOA)
- City College of New York: A Novel Storage Method for CSP Plants Allowing Operation at High Temperature (Thermal Storage FOA)
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Concentrated Solar Thermoelectric Power (CSP SunShot FOA)
- Oregon State University: High-Flux Microchannel Solar Receiver (CSP SunShot FOA)
- Texas Engineering Experiment Station: Molten Salt-Carbon Nanotube Thermal Storage (Thermal Storage FOA)
- University of Alabama: Novel Molten Salts Thermal Energy Storage for Concentrating Solar Power Generation (Thermal Storage FOA)
- University of Arizona: Halide and Oxy-Halide Eutectic Systems for High-Performance, High-Temperature Heat Transfer Fluids (SunShot MURI FOA)
- University of Arizona: Advanced Manufacture of Reflectors (CSP SunShot FOA)
- University of Arkansas: Development and Performance Evaluation of High Temperature Concrete for Thermal Energy Storage for Solar Power Generation (Thermal Storage FOA)
- University of California, Los Angeles: High Operating Temperature Liquid Metal Heat Transfer Fluids (SunShot MURI FOA)
- University of Connecticut: Novel Thermal Energy Storage Systems (TES) for Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) (Thermal Storage FOA)
- University of South Florida: Innovative Thermal Energy Storage for Baseload Solar Power Generation (Baseload CSP FOA)
Core Capabilities
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory: System Advisor Model Enhancements for CSP (National Laboratory R&D)
- Sandia National Laboratories: DOE National Solar Thermal Test Facility (National Laboratory R&D)
Learn about other concentrating solar power research.