Development of a Planar Focusing Collector for CSP Award Number: DE-EE0007339 CX(s) Applied: A9, B3.6 Solar Energy Technology Office Date: 04/06/2016 Location(s): IL Office(s): Golden Field Office
Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance
April 6, 2016
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Development of a Planar Focusing Collector for CSP
Award Number: DE-EE0007339
CX(s) Applied: A9, B3.6
Solar Energy Technology Office
Date: 04/06/2016
Location(s): IL
Office(s): Golden Field Office
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is proposing to provide federal funding to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) to develop a planar focusing collector (PFC) as a potential lower cost alternative to the conventional parabolic trough concentrator used in concentrated solar power (CSP).
Activities associated with the proposed project would include design, fabrication, and characterization of a planar focusing collector. Design, fabrication, and basic characterization would be completed in the research and characterization facilities at UIUC in Urbana, IL and at the University of Michigan (UM) in Ann Arbor, MI. Further optical characterization would be completed at the Optical Characterization Laboratory in the Energy Systems Integration Facility at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, CO, while materials testing work would take place in the Field Test Laboratory Building, also located on campus at NREL. The facilities in which lab work would occur are purpose-built for the type of activities being proposed; therefore, no adverse impacts to sensitive resources are expected as a result of the proposed project. No change in the use, mission or operation of existing facilities would arise out of this effort. The facilities have all applicable permits in place, and would not need additional permits for the proposed activities.