Progress in Research and Development of Molten Chloride Salt Technology for Next Generation Concentrated Solar Power Plants

Concentrated solar power (CSP) plants with thermal energy storage (TES) system are emerging as one kind of the most promising power plants in the future renewable energy system, since they can supply dispatchable and low-cost electricity with abundant but intermittent solar energy. In order to significantly reduce the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of the present commercial CSP plants, the next generation CSP technology with higher process temperature and energy efficiency is being developed. The TES system in the next generation CSP plants works with new TES materials at higher temperatures (> 565 °C) compared to that with the commercial nitrate salt mixtures. This paper reviews recent progress in research and development of the next generation CSP and TES technology. Emphasis is given on the advanced TES technology based on molten chloride salt mixtures such as MgCl2/NaCl/KCl which has similar thermo-physical properties as the commercial nitrate salt mixtures, higher thermal stability (> 800 °C), and lower costs (