Stefan Breuer

Experimental proof of concept of a pilot-scale thermochemical storage unit

An efficient heat storage system, which allows disposal of the energy independently of the weather conditions, is a key factor on the development of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP). In this respect thermochemical heat storage could play an important role. Despite being still at early development stage, the number of recent studies dealing with thermochemical systems for high temperature storage shows that the interest on this topic is largely increasing. Among the reactive materials studied, certain multi-valent metal oxides seem to be a promising option, especially for air-operated CSP plants.

Solar Aluminum Recycling in a Directly Heated Rotary Kiln

South Africa currently is experiencing an electricity constraint due to economic growth and lack of investment in generation capacity, resulting in power blackouts in 2008. With increased electricity prices, the economic sustainability of energy intensive industries is threatened. The aluminum smelting industry is a significant consumer of electricity.