Explore our collection of new stories for this topic.
Search or filter for a specific story using the options below.
May 2025
NREL Researcher Craig Turchi Brings Small Business Experience to Big Concentrating Solar Projects
Turchi returned to NREL with a savvy outlook on concentrating solar power (CSP) systems analysis and innovation after serving as the principal investigator for a technology startup.
December 2024
Two NREL Researchers Selected as Fellows of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Two researchers from NREL have been named fellows of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). The New York-based organization bestowed the honor this fall to Zhiwen Ma and Bidzina Kekelia. Both men are senior engineers, and each holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering.
October 2024
Heliostat Consortium Delivers New Tools To Ensure Quality of Precision Mirrors and Support the Concentrating Solar Industry
In its 2024 annual report, HelioCon details its advancement of a third-party technique to improve heliostat accuracy for manufacturers, the launch of an open-source CSP platform, and the growth of the HelioCon community in the past year.
August 2024
DOE Consortium Awards $3 Million for 6 Projects To Advance Heliostat Technology and Workforce for Commercial Readiness
Recognizing the crucial role heliostats play at large-scale concentrating solar power facilities, the U.S. Department of Energy's Heliostat Consortium awarded a combined $3 million across six projects to innovate heliostat controls, deployment, and workforce training.
January 2024
News Release: Heliostat Consortium Publishes Annual Report Highlighting Impactful Technical Projects, Partnerships With Industry
The HelioCon Annual Report: 2023 provides detailed information on progress the Heliostat Consortium team has made since its founding.
October 2023
News Release: New Database Shines Spotlight on Decades of Solar Mirror Research
NREL is preparing to unveil a publicly available Solar Mirror Materials Database (SMMD) database containing the results of exposure experiments on solar reflectors conducted over more than four decades.
June 2023
Their Powers Combined: NREL Postdocs Study Turbulent Winds To Boost Concentrating Solar Efficiency
As part of a two-year project, three NREL postdocs are working hard to understand the impact of turbulent wind conditions on a type of concentrating solar power technology that uses a tube positioned along a curved, mirrored structure to collect sunlight.
News Release: Heliostat Consortium Announces Funding Awards Aimed at Lowering Costs and Barriers to Widespread Heliostat Deployment
NREL and Sandia National Laboratories announced seven awardees from a request for proposals aimed at achieving DOE's goals for heliostat cost reduction, sustained multifaceted innovation, and improved solar field performance.
March 2023
NREL-Led Team Explores Potential of Underground Geothermal Energy Storage for All Seasons
Renewable energy storage technologies with long-duration capabilities are essential as the U.S. power grid and wider energy economy move toward decarbonization.
September 2022
News Release: International Heliostat Consortium Releases Roadmap and Solicitation To Improve Commercial Viability of Heliostats
NREL, joined by partners at Sandia National Laboratories and the Australian Solar Thermal Research Institute, released its multiyear heliostat roadmap, which identifies research and deployment gaps in heliostat technologies as well as the strategies to overcome them during the next five years.
Share
Last Updated May 5, 2025