Design and Fabrication of 30 Kilowatt Thermal Storage Test Units

Design and Fabrication of 30 Kilowatt Thermal Storage Test Units The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is building a new Thermal Storage Process and Components Integration Laboratory for developing, testing and evaluating novel thermal energy storage materials and systems for Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) technologies (www.nrel.gov/csp/). The laboratory will be equipped with three test units that supply and withdraw thermal energy from candidate thermal energy storage (TES) systems at a 30 kW power rating. Thermal energy will be supplied to the TES systems as high-temperature heat transfer fluid (HTF) as in the current parabolic trough power plants or as high-temperature, high-pressure steam. The 30 kW units are intended to test and evaluate novel TES materials and systems on a laboratory scale before moving to pilot testing or field demonstration. This world-class testing and evaluation laboratory will provide industry and university participants a capability to validate new storage materials and concepts that will make CSP technologies cost competitive in utility-scale markets. NREL will soon release a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the detailed design, fabrication and installation of the three 30 kW test units. The RFP will include specifications for each of the three test units along with conditions for their fabrication and installation. If you are interested in receiving the full set of specifications for the Thermal Storage Test Units in the formal RFP from NREL, please submit your contact information only to the following no later than July 16, 2010: Loretta Schmidt Senior Subcontract Administrator Contracts and Business Services National Renewable Energy Laboratory 1617 Cole Blvd. MS 1735 Golden, CO 80401 +1 (555) 000-0000 +1 (555) 000-0000 (fax) contact@example.gov