DOE funds solar research and development (R&D) in power tower (central receiver) systems as one of four concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies aiming to meet the goals of the SunShot Initiative. More than 50 MW of power from CSP power towers are installed in the United States, Spain, and Germany. The SunShot Initiative funds (R&D) on power tower 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: Advanced Nitrate Salt Central Receiver Power Plant (Baseload CSP 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: High-Efficiency Receivers for Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Cycles (CSP SunShot FOA)
- Brayton Energy: Integrated Absorber, Storage, and Power BlockCSP Systems (CSP APOLLO FOA)
- BrightSource Energy: Flexible Assembly Solar Technology (CSP SunShot FOA)
- eSolar: Modular and Scalable Baseload Molten Salt Plant Conceptual Design and Feasibility (Baseload CSP 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)
- Giant Leap Technologies: CSP Based on Active Microfluidic Mirror Arrays (CSP: COLLECTS FOA)
- Halotechnics: Deep Eutectic Salt Formulations Suitable as Advanced Heat Transfer Fluids (Thermal Storage FOA)
- HiTek: Low-Cost Heliostat Development (Baseload CSP FOA)
- Infinia: Innovative Phase Change Thermal Energy Storage Solution for Baseload Power (Baseload CSP FOA)
- PPG: Next-Generation Low-Cost Reflector (Baseload CSP FOA)
- Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne: Solar Power Tower Improvements with the Potential to Reduce Costs (Baseload CSP FOA)
- Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne: Long-Shafted Molten Salt Pump (CSP R&D 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)
- SolarReserve: Lightweight Ceramic Receivers for CSP (CSP APOLLO 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: Encapsulated Phase Change Material in Thermal Storage for Baseload CSP Plants (Baseload CSP FOA)
- Terrafore: Heat Transfer and Latent Heat Storage in Inorganic Molten Salts for CSP Plants (Thermal Storage FOA)
- Thermata: Heliostat System with Wireless Closed-Loop Control (CSP SunShot FOA)
- US Solar Holdings: CSP Energy Storage Solutions — Multiple Technologies Compared (Thermal Storage FOA)
- Wilson Solar Power: Brayton Cycle Baseload Power Tower (Baseload CSP 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)
- Argonne National Laboratory: Refractory Solar Selective Coatings (CSP SuNLaMP FOA)
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory: Low-Cost Heliostat for Modular Systems (National Laboratory R&D
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory: Direct s-CO2 Receiver Development (National Laboratory R&D)
- 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: Particle Receiver Integrated with a Fluidized Bed (CSP SunShot FOA)
- 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)
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory: Advanced Anti-Soiling Coatings for CSP Collector Mirrors and Heliostats (CSP SuNLaMP FOA)
- Sandia National Laboratories: High-Temperature Falling-Particle Receiver (CSP SunShot FOA)
- Sandia National Laboratories: Fractal-Like Receiver Designs for High-Temperature High-Efficiency Operation (CSP SuNLaMP FOA)
- Sandia National Laboratories: High-Temperature Particle Heat Exchanger for sCO2 Power Cycles (CSP SuNLaMP FOA)
- 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)
- Boston University: Laboratory-Scale Electrodynamic-Screen Self-Cleaning Solar Technology (CSP APOLLO FOA)
- City College of New York: A Novel Storage Method for CSP Plants Allowing Operation at High Temperature (Thermal Storage FOA)
- Lehigh University: Novel Thermal Storage Technologies for Concentrating Solar Power Generation (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)
- Oregon State University: Microchannel Solar Receiver Technology (CSP APOLLO FOA)
- Pennsylvania State University: Scattering Solar Thermal Concentrators (CSP SunShot FOA)
- San Diego State University: A Small-Particle Solar Receiver for High-Temperature Brayton Power Cycles (CSP SunShot FOA)
- Stanford University/SLAC: Next-Generation Thermionic Solar Energy Conversion (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 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 California, San Diego: High-Performance Nanostructured Coating (CSP SunShot FOA)
- University of California, San Diego: Dielectric Metasurface Concentrators (CSP: COLLECTS 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.