Imagine using tiny sand-like particles instead of liquid salts to capture and store the sun's heat. These particles can get much hotter, allowing the system to generate electricity more efficiently. It's like upgrading a home heater to an industrial furnace to get more power from the same amount of fuel.
Current Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) using molten salts is limited by temperature and efficiency, leading to higher electricity costs. There is a need for a more reliable, higher-temperature medium to lower the LCOE.
A MW-scale prototype including a 2 MWth fluidized bed solar receiver, a 300 kW particle superheater, a 1.2 MWe turbine, and a 100m vertical transport system.
If you are an energy provider dealing with high costs of solar thermal plants — this project developed a particle-driven system that reduces the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) by 5.4%. It allows for high-efficiency conversion cycles at 750°C.
If you are a factory owner dealing with the need for high-temperature industrial heat — this project developed a MW-scale prototype that can provide heat for industrial production. It utilizes a 2 MWth solar receiver to generate sustainable high-grade heat.
If you are a developer dealing with the intermittency of solar PV — this project developed a hybrid CSP-PV concept. This combination increases sun-to-power efficiency by 9% compared to standard molten salt technology.
Based on available project data, the solution is expected to result in a cost reduction of 5.4% in terms of LCOE compared to the state-of-the-art.
The project demonstrates a MW-scale prototype (TRL7) featuring a 2 MWth solar receiver and a 1.2 MWe turbine.
Based on available project data, the project focuses on creating transparent documentation to ensure replicability and up-scaling, but specific licensing terms are not listed.
The P2P solution offers an increase in conversion efficiency (sun to power) in the range of 5% to 9% over molten salt technology.
The experimental campaign is planned to take place at the Themis tower in France over a period of one year.
The consortium is strongly geared toward commercialization, with a 55% industry ratio. It consists of 11 partners across 6 countries, including 6 industrial/service companies (4 of which are SMEs) and 5 public research entities. This balance suggests a transition from academic research to industrial application.
Contact CNRS (France) regarding the Powder2Power prototype results.
Contact SciTransfer to identify partners for scaling this TRL7 solar technology.
