The Department of Energy (DOE) awarded Pasadena, Calif.-based Heliogen $4.1 million to demonstrate a concentrated solar-thermal power (CSP) process for heating limestone to 950°C, which could reduce the carbon emissions in portland cement production.
CSP technologies deploy mirrors to beam sunlight onto a receiver, and can be used to deliver heat for energy-intensive industrial processes or generate electricity using a turbine.
The Heliogen project was among five awarded for research advancing DOE Industrial Decarbonization Roadmap goals. The Roadmap was released last month at agency headquarters during a roundtable whose participants included Portland Cement Association, American Iron & Steel Institute, and Steel Manufacturers Association representatives.
The DOE also awarded five other projects that will support its $100 million ongoing efforts to develop next-generation CSP plants.
“Solar-thermal technologies provide us with a significant opportunity to upgrade and reduce emissions of industrial plants across the nation while meeting America’s energy needs with reliable, around the clock power generation,” said Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm. “DOE’s investments will drive the innovation necessary to build out a clean energy economy.”
The funding was announced at the International Energy Agency’s Solar Power and Chemical Energy Systems Conference in Albuquerque, N.M.
