HPS2 Inauguration:

The University of Évora (UE) inaugurates the EMSP – Évora Molten Salt Platform, a scientific infrastructure dedicated to the investigation using molten salts in the thermoelectric conversion of solar energy. Developed and operated in partnership with the DLR Solar Research Institute - Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (German Aerospace Agency), this infrastructure is a pioneer in the use of molten salts as a heat transfer fluid in Solar Concentration Plants.
Unlike conventional solar concentration plants, which use thermal oil as a heat transfer fluid in the solar field, EMSP adopted the use of molten salts throughout the plant – solar field and thermal storage, a technological advance that allows an increase in the operating temperature – and the thermoelectric conversion efficiency – in relation to conventional plants with thermal oil. Equipped with high-capacity thermal storage, this technology allows not only a reduction in the final cost of electricity (LCOE) but also its storage and dispatchability at night, and can even cover 24 hours a day.
By utilizing molten salts throughout the system, EMSP's parabolic cylinder solar plant eliminates the need for a thermal oil/molten salt heat exchanger between the solar field and thermal storage, which associated with an operating temperature rise of 385 ºC to 565 ºC, presents itself as a clear advantage in relation to the conventional solar thermal plants described above.

Equipment: The solar field is made up of 36 large cylindrical parabolic collectors, with a total length of 684 meters and a nominal power of 3.4 MW thermic. It has a solar hydraulic circuit, where molten salts circulate. The storage system consists of two tanks, one cold and one hot, with a capacity of 35m³ each. The infrastructure also includes an experimental thermal storage tank, using innovative materials, with a volume of 30m³.

Event Presentation:

Prof. Dr. Robert Pitz-Paal, German Aerospace Center (DLR) & Dr. Pedro Horta, University of Évora: Évora Molten Salt Platform (EMSP).