Key Highlights :
1. Solar thermal power plants typically face convective thermal losses, which reduce the efficiency when the temperature is high and solar irradiation has a high concentration.
2. The HelioGLOW project works with a solid-state heat-transfer medium, which allows for an operating temperature of more than 1,000°C, considerably boosting efficiency.
3. The heat-transfer medium is driven though the receiver through a bespoke process reminiscent of a carousel, and heated up immediately.
4. To this end, Kraftblock GmbH developed novel ceramic receiver elements made of non-corrosive, environmentally friendly material with a high heat storage capacity.
5. The material's temperature development and stability were characterized at a Fraunhofer ISE test stand, followed by tests in the solar simulator at the IMDEA Energy Institute in Madrid.
6. The project team was able to use the measuring results as a basis for analyzing the material's behavior under extreme solar radiation.
The HelioGLOW project by Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE and industrial partners investigates a novel ceramic heat-transfer medium that allows for an operating temperature of more than 1,000°C, boosting efficiency.
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