13 Solar Companies awarded DOE funds for Concentrating Solar Power

DOE announced today that it has awarded $62 million in grants to various research projects to develop specific aspects involving development of Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) systems to improve and accelerate solar technology. This five year program will study the feasibility of creating utility-scale solar power plants capable of operating 18 hours a day, which is the only way solar will ever be able to replace traditional coal-fired energy stations. The projects range from exploring ways to collect solar energy after the sun sets to developing thermal storage systems to trap solar energy in molten salt.

Thirteen different companies have been selected to receive grants. Six are located in California - Solar, Inc. ($10.8M), Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne ($10.2M), General Atomics ($2.1M), SENER Engineering and Systems Inc. ($3.1M), SunTrough Energy, Inc. ($4.5M) and Terrafore, Inc. ($1.4M). Other companies receiving research funding include SkyFuel, Inc. in New Mexico ($4.3M), Abengoa Solar, Inc. in Colorado ($10.6M), PPG Industries, Inc in Pennsylvania ($3M), Infinia Corporation in Washington ($3M) and HiTech Services, Inc. in Alabama ($3M). DOE Secretary Steven Chu believes the programs will "create new jobs and pave the way towards a clean-energy future."

More on Concentrating Solar Power:

Stirling Engine Concentrating Solar Power plant uses new Suncatcher System
Gossamer Solar Troughs for Concentrated Solar Power offer better performance and lower cost
Amonix concentrating solar PV cells achieve 39% efficiency
Utility solar plant uses molten salt for heat storage
Stirling Energy Systems intros new Suncatcher Concentrating Solar Power System using Stirling Engine
Patriot Solar Group concentrated solar thermal and PV

image credit: Geri Kodey (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)