At the test plant, molten salt is used as heat transfer and storage medium in a Fresnel collector. This collector uses flat glass reflectors, which concentrate direct sunlight onto a receiver, through which the molten salt is pumped. This enables heating the salt to temperature of more than 500°C.
Novatec Solar CEO Andreas Wittke said: "We are delighted that we can now offer solar thermal power plants with molten salt technology and thermal storage on a commercial basis."
The demonstration collector will be used over the coming months to replicate a large number of different operating conditions. The companies plan to study the impacts on long-term operability, which could lead to the development of the next generation of solar thermal power plants.
BASF Inorganic Chemicals business management head Kerstin Dünnwald said: "Our knowledge of salt chemistry and the new technology concepts are contributing to a significant improvement in the efficiency of solar thermal power plants."
The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) supports the DMS demonstration collector project.
