Advances in Concentrating Solar Thermal Research and Technology

Prof. Manuel Blanco has more than 30 years of experience as a solar researcher and engineer and has contributed to advancing the state-of the-art of Concentrating Solar Thermal (CST) technologies. He is an expert on Thermodynamics, Heat Transfer, Optics, and Modelling of Energy Systems. He is a Full Professor and holder of the European Research Area (ERA) Chair in Solar Thermal Energy of the Cyprus Institute’s Energy, Environment and Water Research Center (EEWRC). He is also the Chair of the Executive Committee of SolarPACES, the Technology Collaboration Program of the International Energy Agency responsible for promoting the development and deployment of solar thermal power technologies and the solar-assisted manufacturing of fuels and chemicals. Until August, 2016, he has been Science Leader of the Solar Energy Systems Research Group of CSIRO -Australia’s National Research Agency, as well as the Director of the Australian Solar Thermal Research Initiative (ASTRI). He is the former Director of the Solar Thermal Energy Department of the National Renewable Energy Centre of Spain (CENER), Chair and Full Professor of the Engineering Department of the University of Texas at Brownsville, and Director of the Plataforma Solar de Almería of CIEMAT, which is the largest European solar research infrastructure.

Part I: Introduction

1. Introduction to concentrating solar thermal (CST) technologies

Manuel J. Blanco, Sarah Miller

Part II: Advances in the collection and concentration of sunlight

2. Advanced mirror concepts for concentrating solar thermal systems

Arantxa Fernandez Garcia, Florian Sutter, Lucía Martínez-Arcos, Loreto Valenzuela, Chris Sansom

3. Improved field design for Linear Fresnel reflector systems

Manuel Collares Pereira Sr., Diogo Canavarro, Júlio Chaves

Part III: Advances in the thermal conversion of concentrated sunlight

4. A new generation of absorber tubes for concentrating solar thermal (CST) systems

Angel Morales, Gema San Vicente

5. Innovative working fluids for parabolic trough collectors

Eduardo Zarza Moya

6. A new generation of solid-particle and other high performance receiver designs for concentrating solar thermal (CST) central tower systems

Cliff Ho

7. Next generation of liquid metal and other high performance receiver designs for concentrating solar thermal (CST) central tower systems

Manuel Romero, Jose Gonzalez-Aguilar

Part IV: Advances in the power block and thermal storage systems

8. Supercritical CO2 and otheradvanced cycles for concentrating solar thermal (CST) systems

Saeb Besarati, Yogi Goswami, Barbara Graham

9. Advances in dry cooling for concentrating solar thermal (CST) plants

Kamel Hooman, Zhiqiang Guan, Hal Gurgenci

10. High temperature latent heat storage for concentrating solar thermal (CST) systems

Joseph Stekli, Ranga Pitchumani, Karthik Nithyanandam

11. Thermochemical energy storage for concentrating solar thermal (CST) systems

Joseph Stekli, Ranga Pitchumani

12. Three-step storage for direct steam generation (DSG) solar plants

Loreto Valenzuela

Part V: Advances in the control an operation of CPS plants

13. Forecasting and nowcasting of DNI for concentrating solar thermal (CST) systems

Lourdes Ramirez, Jose Maria Vindel

14. Advance control strategies to maximize ROI and the value of the concentrating solar thermal (CST) plant to the grid

Eduardo F. Camacho, Antonio J. Gallego Len Sr.

Part VI: Cost competitive CST plants concepts

15. Linear Fresnel reflector (LFR) plants using superheated steam and other alternative working fluids

Manuel Collares Pereira Sr., Diogo Canavarro, Júlio Chaves

16. Central tower systems using the Brayton cycle

Reiner Buck, Ralf Uhlig, Stefano Giuliano

17. Central tower systems using supercritical CO2 and supercritical steam cycles and decoupled combined cycles

Manuel Silva-Perez

18. Concentrating solar thermal (CST) applications other than electricity production (e.g. solar chemistry)

Wojciech Lipinski, Roman Bader