District heating networks, an important part of the energy transition for buildings, need a way of storing intermittent wind and solar power. But water tanks have limits: they take up a lot of space, and have a low thermal energy storage density (limited by the 100°C boiling point). Molten salts have a much higher storage density (regular table salt has a melting point of 801°C), but a melting point that is too high is not safe where ordinary … [Read more...]
Getting Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) down to $0.05 per kWh
The U.S. Department of Energy is funding research to get the cost of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) down to $0.05 per kWh. One key element of that research is the materials used to absorb and store the heat energy. Three categories of materials are being looked at: liquid (i.e. molten salt), particle (like sand), and gaseous. NREL is leading the molten salt research, and there are multiple challenges. The salts can corrode the storage tanks and … [Read more...]
Convolutional neural networks: facial recognition AI applied to analysis and design of Advanced Nuclear Reactors
Scientists are looking for new ways to predict how materials survive high temperatures, pressures and corrosion levels, and design new materials that can do so. Temperatures can reach 800 Celsius in parts of solar energy plants and advanced nuclear reactors. Dave Bukey at the Argonne National Laboratory looks at research that uses convolutional neural networks – a type of AI – to uncover patterns in huge data sets. The method is over 2,000 faster … [Read more...]