Abengoa selected by US DOE to develop new solar-thermal storage technology

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has selected Abengoa to develop a new solar storage technology for thermo-electric plants.

Abengoa will develop the technology in collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the Colorado School of Mines (CSM).

Focusing on the commercial potential of the new technology in future solar plant projects, the company will be responsible for leading the systems integration work and the technical-financial analysis for the technology.

Scheduled to last for two years, the program will require an investment of €1.3m by the DOE.

The project is part of the DOE’s SunShot Initiative, which aims to promote innovation to make the solar power cost more competitive when compared with traditional sources, before the end of the decade.

While increasing efficiency, the research programme is expected to reduce costs of solar-thermal technology.

Abengoa will utilise its experience in developing innovative technology solutions for sustainability, specifically in the field of solar research and development for the new research program.

Earlier, the company and the DOE worked jointly on new technologies for manufacturing and assembling parabolic trough collectors.

Currently, Abengoa has 1,223MW of installed capacity in commercial operation as well as 430MW under construction, including both solar-thermal and photovoltaic technology.