27

2025

-

04

US solar energy research and development shifts towards concentrated solar power generation technology


According to MIT Technology Review magazine, the US Department of Energy recently announced a $62 million investment to increase research and development on another major technology in the solar energy industry - concentrated solar power generation, in order to tackle key challenges such as solar grid stability, repairability, and energy storage.
At present, solar power plants are mainly based on two technologies to convert solar energy into electrical energy: one is photovoltaic power generation technology, which requires expensive battery packs or external energy storage technology and can only operate and supply power when the sun is high; The second type is concentrated solar power generation technology, which focuses sunlight through lenses and uses the obtained energy to convert water into steam to drive a steam turbine. The solar energy is partially converted into heat energy and stored in the molten salt tank equipped in the system, which can provide continuous power supply at night or on rainy days.