Advanced Steam-Generating Receivers
- $2.82m Funded by ARENA
- $5.97m Total project cost
Summary
The Advanced Steam-Generating Receivers project successfully demonstrated that significant reductions in the Levelised Cost of Electricity can be achieved by moving operation of concentrating solar thermal plants to higher temperatures and pressures. Additionally, the project has shown that using once through boiler designs is a suitable in concentrating solar thermal receivers.
Need
Most of the world’s electricity is produced in power stations using steam turbines, traditionally generated by the burning of fossil fuels.
Solar-generated steam could be a low carbon alternative for electricity generation if produced at high enough temperatures and pressures.
Project innovation
The Advanced Steam-Generating Receivers project was a collaboration between CSIRO and international company Abengoa Solar. It developed solar thermal receiver technologies that capture and concentrate heat from sunlight to produce high-quality steam. The project successfully demonstrated that significant reductions in the Levelised Cost of Electricity can be achieved by moving operation of concentrating solar thermal plants to higher temperatures and pressures. Additionally, the project has shown that using once through boiler designs is suitable in concentrating solar thermal receivers.
The technology was tested using the solar towers located at CSIRO’s National Solar Energy Centre in Newcastle, NSW.
Learn more
Report: Generating Receivers for High-Concentration Solar Collector
A report on testing solar thermal technology steam generation for use in large scale Concentrating Solar thermal Power (CSP) stations.
Report: Design and Operation of Pilot Scale Solar Supercritical Systems
Research on the use of new materials and the impact on the construction of the equipment that makes up the experiment.
Media Release: Solar Thermal Project Delivers Steamy World Record
ARENA today congratulated researchers at CSIRO and Abengoa Solar for achieving the highest temperature steam ever produced using energy from the sun.
Benefit
The technology could revolutionise fossil fuel power plants by allowing existing steam turbines to use a clean and renewable source to generate electricity.
