Virtual Workshop: Concentrating Solar Receivers and Reactors

On February 15, 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) hosted a virtual workshop focused on solar receivers and reactors for concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP) and solar-thermal decarbonization. 

As the U.S. power sector evolves, and as industrial decarbonization becomes more urgent, there is a need for further innovation and development of receivers and reactors in support of solar-thermal energy for power and industrial heat applications. DOE and its partners have worked together to reach important milestones in the advancement of this technology.

Speakers from industry, national labs, and universities discussed the next steps in research and development of solar receivers and reactors.

Agenda

Time (ET)
Session
Speakers/Presentations
12:00 p.m.
Welcome and IntroductionMatt Bauer, SETO/CSP Solar Receivers and Virtual Reactors
12:15 p.m.
Gen3 CSP Particle Systems

Jeremy Sment, Sandia National Laboratories/Gen3 Particle Pilot Plant Update 

Bill Hamilton, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)/Optical Characterization of a Falling Particle Snout Receiver

Matt Carlson and Andrew Oles, Heliogen/Capella TESTBED Project and Centrifugal Receiver Development

1:15 p.m.
Break 
1:30 p.m.
Panel: Commercial Receiver Development

Bruce Kelly, Solar Dynamics/Nitrate Salt Receivers

Hank Price, Solar Dynamics/Parabolic Trough Receiver Technology

Joe Coventry, Australian National University with Vast Solar/Sodium Receivers

2:40 p.m.
Panel: Innovative Receiver concepts

Reiner Buck, German Aerospace Center/Development of Centrifugal Particle Receivers 

Gianluca Ambrosetti, Synhelion/Absorbing Gas Receiver 

 

3:40 p.m.
Panel: Innovative Receiver Concepts

Reza Sarrafi-nour, General Electric Research/Additively Manufactured SiC Receiver Design

Zhiwen Ma, NREL/Light-Trapping, Enclosed Planar-Cavity Receiver

Microchannel receivers: Vinod Narayanan, University of California Davis/Additively Manufactured Metallic Micro-Pin Array Receivers 

Jeff Halfinger, CTP USA/Multilayer Silicon Carbide Composite Material Technology 

5:00 p.m. 
Adjourn 

Additional Information