Kacey Roberts
A National Renewable Energy Laboratory-led international consortium has launched a five-year roadmap for the advancement of heliostat technology.
NREL said Tuesday the Heliostat Consortium’s study flagged the issues related to research and use of heliostat technologies and laid out efforts on how to address them.
The Advancing Heliostat Technologies for Concentrating Solar-Thermal Power: HelioCon Roadmap seeks to promote an increase in investments in the technology and enhance its commercial viability.
According to the study, the Solar Energy Technologies Office of the Department of Energy wants to lower heliostat fees to $0.05 to 0.08 per kilowatt hour in next generation plants for concentrating solar-thermal power technologies.
Furthermore, NREL issued a $3 million request for proposals notice on SAM.gov for research projects to support the component’s commercial rollout. Responses are due Nov. 8.
DOE last year formed HelioCon, which carries the mandate to enhance the performance and reliability of U.S.-manufactured heliostats. Aside from NREL, it also includes partners at Sandia National Laboratories and the Australian Solar Thermal Research Institute.
