SOLAR PRODUCTION OF FUELS AND COMMODITIES

The ALCCONES project is a very ambitious initiative that involves R&D public institutions, IMDEA Energía (Coordinator), University J. Carlos I, ICP-CSIC and CIEMAT. The program AlCConES (the acronym in Spanish stands for Storage and Conversion of Concentrated Solar Power) focuses its R&D objectives onto the heart of CSP systems, that is the loop involving conversion from high flux solar to thermal energy, including the storage system needed to optimized dispatch on demand for further use of energy in the production of electricity, solar fuels or chemicals.

Within objective 2, CIEMAT is exploring new solar receivers and reactors for the efficient operation at high temperatures and with high penetration of photons for high incident flux. Furthermore, within objective 3, “developing new storage and dispatching thermal energy systems”. CIEMAT will be focused on new perovskite materials as candidates for thermochemical cycles and the study of the feasibility of liquid crystals as phase change materials for latent storage systems.

IMDEA Energía (Coordinator), University J. Carlos I, ICP-CSIC and CIEMAT. SENER (Spanish engineering company) and ABENGOA Hidrógeno (company subsidiary of the ABENGOA group) act as industrial companies with active collaboration and interest in the possible exploitation of the project results.