Molten-Salt Power Towers: Newly Commercial Concentrating Solar Storage

Molten-salt storage is already commercially available for concentrating solar power (CSP) plants, allowing solar power to be produced on demand and to "backup" variable renewable sources such as wind and photovoltaics. The first CSP plants to operate commercially with molten-salt storage u...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the IEEE 2012-02, Vol.100 (2), p.504-515
Main Authors: Dunn, Rebecca I., Hearps, Patrick J., Wright, Matthew N.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Central receivers
concentrating solar power (CSP)
Demand
Electric power plants
Electrical engineering. Electrical power engineering
Electrical power engineering
Electricity supply industry
Electron tubes
Energy
Energy storage
Energy. Thermal use of fuels
Exact sciences and technology
Heat exchangers
Heat transfer
Industrial plants
Miscellaneous
molten salt
Natural energy
Non classical power plants
Photovoltaic power plants
Poles and towers
Power networks and lines
Power plants
power towers
Solar energy
Solar power generation
Solar thermal conversion
Solar thermal power plants
Steam electric power generation
Storage tanks
Tanks
Theoretical studies. Data and constants. Metering
Thermal properties
Towers
Turbines
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Description
Summary:Molten-salt storage is already commercially available for concentrating solar power (CSP) plants, allowing solar power to be produced on demand and to "backup" variable renewable sources such as wind and photovoltaics. The first CSP plants to operate commercially with molten-salt storage utilized parabolic trough concentrators, for example, the Andasol-1 plant. A new type of storage plant has now reached commercial status, with the 19.9-MW e Torresol Gemasolar power tower, featuring 15 h of molten-salt storage, having come online in Spain in May 2011. Advantages of the power tower storage system include the elimination of heat transfer oil and associated heat exchangers, a lower salt requirement, higher steam cycle efficiency, better compatibility with air cooling, improved winter performance, and simplified piping schemes. Near-term advances in molten-salt power tower technology include planned up-scaling, with SolarReserve due to begin constructing a 110-MW e plant in Nevada by August 2011. Other advances include improvements to the thermal properties of molten salts and the development of storage solutions in a single tank. With these developments at hand, CSP will continue to provide dispatchable solar power, with the capacity to provide energy storage for 100% renewable electricity grids in sun-belt countries.
ISSN:0018-9219
1558-2256
DOI:10.1109/JPROC.2011.2163739