From testing space shuttle tiles to making electricity from sunlight,
for forty
years Sandia National Laboratories has contributed to energy
research, space exploration, defense testing and solar energy
commercialization at its world-leading National Solar Thermal Test
Facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The facility’s primary goal is to
provide experimental engineering data for the design, construction and
operation of components and systems for industrial-scale concentrating
solar thermal electrical plants for large-scale power generation.
Operated by Sandia National Laboratories for the U.S. Department of
Energy (DOE), the National Solar Thermal Test Facility is the only test
facility of this type in the United States.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180801006031/en/
Kevin Smith, SolarReserve’s Chief Executive Officer, spoke at the 40th anniversary celebration of Sandia’s National Solar Thermal Test Facility (Photo: Business Wire)
On the occasion of the National Solar Thermal Test Facility’s 40th
anniversary this month, past and present Sandia researchers and leaders,
government representatives, and industry leaders joined together for a
day of talks and tours focused on the facility’s history, and its role
in solar energy and other fields and the present research perspective.
Kevin Smith, SolarReserve’s Chief Executive Officer spoke at the event:
“Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the National Solar Thermal Test
Facility reminds us all of the important work that the Sandia team has
done to advance American innovation in solar thermal technology. Through
their efforts, and our partnership with them, breakthrough solutions for
cost-effective sustainable energy now and in the generations to come are
being developed. New industries are being fostered, and U.S. jobs
created by the thousands. We look forward to many more years of
collaboration with Sandia on solar thermal technology development.”
For over 10 years, SolarReserve has partnered with Sandia to test and
validate advanced heliostat designs for its utility-scale solar thermal
power stations. Heliostats are the large dual-axis tracking mirrors that
concentrate and focus the sun’s energy onto a receiver atop a central
tower. Within the receiver, fluid flows through the piping that forms
the external walls? this fluid absorbs the heat from the concentrated
sunlight. In SolarReserve’s technology, the fluid utilized is molten
salt, which is used both as a heat transfer fluid as well as a thermal
energy storage medium.
Paul Gauche, manager of Sandia’s National Solar Thermal Test Facility
remarked: “The CSP team at Sandia has worked side by side with
SolarReserve since their founding and we look forward to assisting them
as they embark on several large projects around the world. This special
relationship has its foundations in the pioneering molten salt research
led by Sandia labs in the 1970s and we anticipate history repeating
itself in Gen3 and beyond.”
SolarReserve is experienced in advanced heliostat and collector field
design, deployment and controls. The company’s heliostat innovation
areas include advancements in pointing accuracy, nimble structure
design, high precision and efficient drive systems, ultra-light and high
reflectivity mirror facets, and various heliostats and collector field
control, power and communication systems. SolarReserve has developed,
built and tested about 15 different heliostat variations at Sandia’s
test facility in New Mexico, each with reduced cost and higher
performance. Through this collaboration with Sandia, SolarReserve has
developed heliostat solutions that deliver industry leading performance
at a competitive price point.
About SolarReserve
SolarReserve is a leading global developer, owner and operator of
utility-scale solar power projects, with more than $1.8 billion of
projects in operation worldwide. The company has commercialized its
proprietary ThermaVault™ advanced solar thermal technology with
integrated molten salt energy storage that delivers renewable power that
is dispatchable 24-hours per day. The U.S. developed technology is now
one of the world’s leading energy storage technologies, and allows solar
energy to operate like traditional fossil-fired and nuclear electricity
generation – except the fuel is the sun which means zero emissions, zero
hazardous waste, and zero dependence on fuel price volatility.
Since the company’s formation in early 2008, SolarReserve’s experienced
team has assembled a pipeline of over 13 gigawatts across the world’s
most attractive, high growth renewable energy markets. SolarReserve is
headquartered in the US, and maintains a global presence with six
international offices to support widespread project development
activities across more than 20 countries.
Visit www.solarreserve.com
for more information about SolarReserve.
Visit http://csp.sandia.gov/
for more information about work being done by Sandia National
Laboratories for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Thermal Electric
Program.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180801006031/en/