Researchers pilot carbon capture using sunlight and mirrors

Researchers at the independent research organisation SINTEF are constructing a pilot floating solar power plant that will produce electricity and heat to be used in a carbon capture facility.

SINTEF is collaborating with the Norwegian company Svalin Solar, which currently manufactures a small-scale version of a similar facility.

The plant will use a technology that captures concentrated sunlight. It will be built in a way that allows it to rotate using propellers, allowing maximum sunlight to be captured at all times.

“The concept is based on standard solar radiation technology, but it also uses mirrors to concentrate the sunlight and direct it onto ultra-efficient solar panels”, explains Martin Bellmann, research scientist at SINTEF.

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According to SINTEF, the concentrated sunlight will generate a lot of heat, which will be collected by the plant using a heat transfer fluid flowing in pipes linked to the solar panels.

“In current floating solar energy plants this heat is lost because they use water to cool the solar panels”, says Bellmann. “But this plant is unique because it retains the heat as well as the electricity”, he explains.

The heat from the plant will be connected to a heat pump developed by SINTEF and the electricity and heat generated will be used in a carbon capture facility.

“The aim of the pilot is to demonstrate a solar-assisted carbon capture system that either entirely or in part generates the thermal energy needed for gas separation”, says Bellmann.

Bellmann explained that the plant will initially be tested on dry land at one of SINTEF's existing carbon capture facilities outside Trondheim, Norway.

The EUR 19.3 million ($21 million) project is operating with the support of 28 partners and ultimately aims to assist heavy industry in Europe to become more sustainable.