European facility on Molten SALT technologies TO power and energy system applications

ended

The use of Thermal Energy Storage (TES) in combination with the thermal conversion of solar irradiation – Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) – has long been regarded as an important technological solution for the production of dispatchable electricity. Whereas thermal oil based systems have set the standard in the first generation of commercial CSP Plants, the use of Molten Salts as heat transfer and storage media has been gathering research efforts and is regarded, by the industry, as the foregoing standard for new commercial plants. Molten Salt (MS) research has been deployed along the past decade in Germany and Italy, alongside with the erection of dedicated Research Infrastructure (RI) enabling the study and experimental test of e.g. materials, components or O&M procedures suiting this innovative technological approach. With the recent commissioning of a full-fledged Molten Salt Solar system emulating a commercial MS-CSP Plant in Évora, Portugal has joined this research effort with a new outstanding RI in this field. Gathering the unique experience of two non-Widening partners in the development and operation of the most important MS-RI at European level with the incumbent new RI capacity available in a Widening country, the present proposal aims at enhancing the scientific excellence and innovation capacity of the Consortium in the foregoing exploitation of this outstanding RI. SALTOpower has a strong focus on an enhanced capacity building of researchers going beyond purely scientific capacities, strengthening the research management and administration skills of the Widening RI. By means of enhanced cooperation duly framed on a common research strategy aiming at further developing MS technologies, SALTOpower aims at creating the reference European facility for the development and testing of Molten Salt based technologies for energy storage and dispatchable power production solutions, for the integration of different renewable energy sources, power and gas grids.