By Kristen Meub Sandia mechanical engineer Kenneth Armijo, who leads bilingual family science events by night and researches solar energy and assists small businesses by day, has received the prestigious Zia Award from his alma mater, the University of New Mexico. “I feel pretty honored to get the award,” Kenneth said. “It’s pretty special in [...]
Also known as collectors, heliostats are large arrays of mirrors which collect and focus sunlight. In a concentrating solar power plant, the collectors focus sunlight on a centralized receiver. The receiver captures the heat, where it can be stored and used to produce power on demand. The unique capabilities and testing expertise of [...]
The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office has awarded $72 million to projects advancing high-temperature concentrating solar power systems, including the falling-particle receiver system developed collaboratively at Sandia. Sandia’s continuously recirculating high-temperature falling-particle receiver is one of three concentrating solar power projects funded to advance high-temperature concentrating solar power (CSP) systems through the [...]
Our nation relies upon a network of radars across the country to support the missions of homeland defense/ security, flight safety, and weather forecasting. The air-surveillance environment contains within it clutter, both stationary and moving. Wind turbines present a unique problem in that they can be both stationary and moving clutter and operate with [...]
Louise Vickery, General Manager, Renewable Futures at the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA). At the end of June, Louise Vickery, General Manager, Renewable Futures at the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) visited Sandia. ARENA manages the Australian government’s commitment to improve the competitiveness of renewable energy technologies and to increase Australia’s renewable energy [...]
Sandia researchers are working to lower the cost of solar energy systems and improve efficiencies in a big way, thanks to a system of small particles. Technologists John Kelton and Daniel Ray (both in Sandia’s Concentrating Solar Technologies Dept.) perform inspection of the falling-particle receiver during a cloud delay atop the NSTTF’s Solar Tower [...]
SolarReserve is testing engineering units at the National Solar Thermal Test Facility (NSTTF) operated by Sandia. The company says it decided to test its prototype heliostats at NSTTF because of Sandia’s, “knowledge and reputation in the solar industry, as well as the breadth of resources available for improving and testing new designs.” SolarReserve is focused [...]
Jim Pacheco built a reputation in concentrating solar power and was recruited by several companies when the technology took off in the marketplace. (Photo by Randy Montoya) Jim Pacheco (now in the Active Response and Denial Dept.) received an Entrepreneurial Spirit Award for his participation in Sandia's Entrepreneurial Separation to Transfer Technology (ESTT) [...]
A recent overhaul of the DOE’s National Solar Thermal Test Facility (NSTTF), operated by Sandia, is dramatically improving researchers’ ability to understand and use concentrating solar power (CSP). The $17.8M upgrade to the NSTTF adds state-of-the-art test capabilities, and the resulting research is expected to lead to more solar power use on the electric grid. [...]
On November 24, 2012 the National Solar Thermal Test Facility (NSTTF) began testing of the Pratt Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR) solar receiver shroud. Fifteen days of solar testing are scheduled for this testing. The flux levels on the shroud range between 100 and 500 suns. The work is sponsored by PWR in cooperation with the Department [...]
