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Horizon 2020 · CAPTure
Concentrated solar power
Until now, CSP has meant large multi-megawatt steam plants. Storage in molten salts is possible. Five hurdles are not.
Why steam towers struggle
- High maintenance from the steam turbine and water treatment
- Very high cooling demand in hot ambients
- Need for super-clean water where water is scarce
- Long distances from mirrors to collector, and the light losses that follow
- Large towers and many mirrors — very high capital
Modular towers, no cooling plant
Hot air turbines unlock modular systems of 0.3–1.0 MW per tower without cooling, and therefore with much lower capital. With EU funding through Horizon 2020, Bluebox is developing higher heat-exchanger pressures for more power and efficiency. That work meshes with the other CAPTure partners toward a competitive solar power tower.
The turbine class in this story is the Bluebox-50-HCR.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 640905.