September 29, 2012

UA Engineering Leads $5.5M DOE Project to Create Low-Cost Solar Energy




Solar power may be clean and renewable, but solar panels are inefficient and do not work at night. Could concentrated solar power be the salty solution?

The University of Arizona College of Engineering will lead a $5.5 million, 5-year research project, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, to develop more affordable and efficient concentrated solar power systems.

Concentrated solar power, or CSP, is generated by mirrors, called heliostats, that focus sunlight on a receiver containing a heat transfer fluid that absorbs the energy, which is then used to produce steam to spin electric turbines.