Concentrating solar power is another technology that converts solar energy into electrical energy in addition to photovoltaic power generation technology. The technology uses a mirror to focus and convert sunlight into heat that drives the turbine to operate. Since the heat converted by sunlight can be stored and converted to electricity when needed, the technology can guarantee continuous power supply at night or on rainy days. The United States is one of the countries with better application of concentrating solar power technology in the world. The Ministry of Energy announced in September last year that it invested US$62 million to increase the research and development of concentrating solar power technology.
The operating temperature of the thermal energy system is a key factor in controlling the cost of concentrating solar power. At present, the best commercial concentrating solar power technology in the United States has a maximum operating temperature of 565 °C. The third-generation high-temperature concentrating solar power project (Gen3 CSP) launched by the US Department of Energy aims to push the operating temperature of the thermal system to over 700 °C, which will effectively improve power generation efficiency and reduce power generation costs. The Ministry of Energy said that if the project is successful, it will reduce the power generation cost per kWh of the concentrating solar power plant by about 2 cents, which is equivalent to the 2030 target cost set by the Ministry of Energy for the US concentrating solar power plant. 40% of electricity 5 cents).
Currently, the Department of Energy has selected three research units, Bretton Energy, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and Sandia National Laboratories, to compete in the integrated design of high-temperature components and high-temperature thermal energy storage systems. .
Daniel Simmons, deputy assistant deputy director of the Department of Energy, said that the United States is a world leader in high-temperature concentrating solar power research. The new project will help promote the development of new technologies for high-temperature concentrating solar power and maintain the United States in this field. leadership.