Entry Date:
August 25, 2011

Concentrated Solar Power on Demand (CSPonD)

Principal Investigator Alexander Slocum


As the world energy consumption increases, companies and governments alike are looking for renewable forms of energy. Concentrated Solar Power on Demand (CSPonD) is a project whose aim is to receive and store solar energy in the form of a molten salt bath. The molten salt bath can be heated by concentrated solar energy during the day using a heliostat array on the side of a mountain or cliff. Part of the goal is to provide continuous 24/7 power output from the high temperature salt bath. CSPonD can serve as a means to address the growing demand for greener energy sources.

The CSPonD team is focused on developing next-generation concentrating solar power (CSP) capture, storage and conversion technologies. Working under the guidance of Prof. Alex Slocum with a talented team of students and faculty from MIT's Nuclear, Mechanical and Chemical Engineering departments, our goal is to make cost-effective utility scale solar power generation a reality.