US Under Secretary of Energy Clarence Albright has announced funding of up to US$60 million over five years to support the development of low-cost Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) technology. “Harnessing the natural and abundant power of the sun and more cost-effectively converting it into energy is an important component of our comprehensive strategy to commercialise and deploy advanced clean, alternative technologies that will allow us to become less reliant on foreign oil,” Albright says. “The Administration’s investment in solar technology will not only bolster innovation, but will help meet the President’s goal of making solar power cost-competitive with conventional sources of electricity over the next seven years,” he adds. The announcement makes funding available for projects from industry and academia that develop advanced thermal storage concepts and heat transfer fluids to further increase the efficiency of concentrating solar power plants. The Department of Energy anticipates making 10 to 25 awards. With a minimum 20 per cent cost share by the private sector for research and development phases and a minimum 50 per cent private cost share for final demonstration phases, the total research investment in advanced solar technologies under this arrangement is expected to exceed US$75 million.
