Advanced Steam-Generating Receivers

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The Advanced Steam-Generating Receivers project successfully demonstrated that significant reductions in the Levelised Cost of Electricity can be achieved by moving operation of concentrating solar thermal plants to higher temperatures and pressures. Additionally, the project has shown that using once through boiler designs is a suitable in concentrating solar thermal receivers. Most of the world’s electricity is produced in power stations using steam turbines, traditionally generated by the burning of fossil fuels.Solar-generated steam could be a low carbon alternative for electricity generation if produced at high enough temperatures and pressures.Project innovationThe Advanced Steam-Generating Receivers project was a collaboration between CSIRO and international company Abengoa Solar. It developed solar thermal receiver technologies that capture and concentrate heat from sunlight to produce high-quality steam. The project successfully demonstrated that significant reductions in the Levelised Cost of Electricity can be achieved by moving operation of concentrating solar thermal plants to higher temperatures and pressures. Additionally, the project has shown that using once through boiler designs is suitable in concentrating solar thermal receivers.The technology was tested using the solar towers located at CSIRO’s National Solar Energy Centre in Newcastle, NSW.

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