World Future Energy Summit Showcases Solar Thermal Reactor

The World Future Energy Summit, held in Abu Dhabi, is showcasing some of the biggest and most imaginative technologies the green sector has seen in decades. One of the most unique items on display is a solar thermal reactor by a group calling itself Solar Fusion Power. With a 1-megawatt demonstration reactor set to be ready in about nine months, the solar thermal reactor could shake up our expectations for solar power.

How does the Solar Thermal Reactor Work?

In a typical solar thermal power plant, thousands of mirrors focus sunlight on a tower. Water is pumped to the top of this tower, where it is converted to steam by the heat of the concentrated sunlight. Some solar thermal power plants use a "heat locker" of liquid salt to store excess heat in order to even out generation during partly cloudy days and to extend production a few hours into the night.

Instead of using energy to pump water to the top of the tower, the solar reactor brings sunlight to the floor. Using a "flower shaped" dish, sunlight is focused on to a single mirror that directs the intense beam directly downward onto a reactor containing liquid calcium and hydrogen. The heat triggers a chemical reaction that causes the reactor to simmer at over 1800°F, easily converting water to steam. According to the inventor, the reaction is critical, meaning that the uncapturable heat produces new reactions, making the whole process self-sustaining once triggered by the sunlight. "The reaction keeps going until you run out of calcium," said Wayne Bliesner, the inventor.

After the calcium in the reactor has all been converted to calcium hydride, the materials can be separated again just by cooling them, allowing the process to begin again the next morning. The self sustaining reaction and the ability to generate steam without pumping water up a 90 foot tower allows the solar thermal reactor to operate at double the efficiency of today's solar thermal plants, say its creators.

According to Greentech Media, the inventor revealed that the most difficult part of the design was building a container to house the super-heated calcium. Expect to hear more on this major breakthrough as we get closer to the September demonstration of the prototype solar thermal reactor.