HIFLEX

About: Concentrated solar power (CSP) plants convert solar energy into electricity by using mirrors or lenses to concentrate a large area of sunlight onto a small area. The generated heat is usually transferred to a molten salt. The EU-funded HIFLEX project will demonstrate a flexible CSP prototype where conventional molten salts will be replaced with a suspension of solid particles that can store and transfer heat. The thermal storage system will operate at temperatures of around 700 degrees Celsius and is expected to provide a 2.5 times higher energy storage density at a 50 % lower energy storage cost. The pre-commercial prototype will be built and tested at a pasta plant in Foggia, Italy.

Duration: 1 September 2019 - 31 August 2023