High-Temperature Solar Thermal Energy Storage

The mislocation of solar energy production facilities and points of demand and the temporal mismatch of solar energy availability and energy demand make transport and storage of solar energy essential. Research at the Solar Energy Research Institute has focused on high-temperature, diurnal storage because of the frequency of use and the potential for conservation of premium fossil fuels. Also,high-temperature thermal energy storage can reduce the cost of hydrogen production, electricity and heat produced by cogeneration, and methane reforming. SERI research is concentrating on containment techniques (including materials corrosion, internal insulation, and storage medium for high-temperature molten salts) and direct-contact heat exchange (including cost-effective heat exchanger designand heat transfer of various materials). After initial screening tests we selected carbonates for further study. We are now constructing test equipment that will allow heat transfer experiments with molten carbonate to 700 degrees C.