Energy storage system for solar applications STEM®

Generally, the medium of choice in CSP/CST plants with TES is molten salts that, however, have some hard limits. Magaldi based its system on a different material. The use of a cost-effective and locally available storage material like silica sand is a key factor for the STEM®-CSP/CST system. The sand allows overcoming limitations faced with molten salts, thanks to: Capacity to reach higher temperatures: the melting temperature of silica sand is approx. 1500°C and, up to this point, it maintains its thermo-physical characteristics without a limited number of cycles. Compact design: the solar receiver, heat exchanger, and thermal energy storage are all integrated into one device. This results in a small-scale system with a reduced footprint, ideal for industrial complexes. STEM®-CSP/CST can be mainly used for generating: Electric energy. The produced steam is used to drive a steam turbine, or, thanks to the extremely high temperatures reached by the sand bed, it is possible to use a supercritical CO2 Brayton cycle instead of the classic steam cycle; Thermal energy. The heat collected from solar radiation is used to generate steam or hot air for direct use in industrial thermal processes.