BrightSource now offers molten salt storage for solar thermal

BrightSource Energy, Inc. has started offering molten salt in its solar thermal plants, a growing trend among solar developers wanting to have more reliable solar power 24/7.

The California-based company is currently using a concentrating solar power plant design that focuses sunlight on water, creating steam for running a generator.

In BrightSource’s new design, called the “SolarPLUS” energy storage system, some of the steam generated is diverted to a heat exchanger to heat molten salt, a mixture of sodium and potassium nitrate.

Molten salt is becoming a sought-after technology for concentrating solar thermal project developers such as SolarReserve L.L.C. and Abengoa Solar, now also offering molten salt storage together with their solar thermal plants.

Power plant operators can use the hot molten salt , which traps heat better compared with water, to produce steam and generate electricity after dark, just when electricity demand spikes.

Molten salt systems have in fact been developed primarily for utilities to smooth out the variations of renewable electricity, since renewable sources’ electrical output especially from solar and wind change throughout the day.

While molten-salt energy storage can only store 12 watt-hours per kilogram compared with 25 Wh/kg with lead acid batteries, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory said using molten salt is more cost-effective.

Researchers from the lab said potassium nitrate and sodium nitrate are cheap, plentiful and lasts longer compared with electrical batteries, usually used to store power from solar PV panels, which degrade relatively quickly with use.

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