Building on the company’s three existing R&D contracts with the
U.S. Department of Energy, Abengoa Solar has announced that it has been
awarded a further two contracts by the Department worth $14.4 million.
The first contract is for development of technology to reduce the cost
of thermal energy storage for trough-based CSP systems by 20 to 25
percent, while the second contract will aim to develop new technologies
for integrating thermal energy storage with power tower CSP systems.
The Department of Energy’s aim in this research funding is to develop CSP technologies to rival conventional energy sources by the year 2015. Abengoa’s previous three contracts with the D.O.E., awarded in December 2007, were based on parabolic trough technology development.
By Síle Mc Mahon