Concentrating solar thermal (CST) technology is a rapidly increasing R&D topic due to its potential in renewable energy generation and decarbonisation of industrial processes. As a renewable source of electricity generation, concentrating solar power (CSP) uses heat to power a steam turbine or next-generation supercritical CO₂ power block. It can also “charge” a thermal storage system for production of electricity off-sun at potentially greater scales and lower costs than traditional batteries. CST also has the potential to drive high temperature chemical processes for production of renewable hydrogen, fuels, or commodity chemicals, and to decarbonise energy intensive industrial processes such as water desalination, mineral purification, or biorefining.

Current CST facilities operate at a temperature range of 500–600°C, but next generation plants are aiming for temperatures of greater than 700°C for electricity generation and well above 1000°C for solar thermochemical processes. The high operating temperatures require material systems that can withstand heat and thermal expansion, are resistant to corrosion and degradation, and can efficiently conduct heat. Thermal storage materials (e.g., molten salts, metal hydrides) with improved thermal stability and storage capacity are required. Materials development is imperative for solar thermochemical reactions such as water splitting, chemical and fuel production, and industrial decarbonisation.

This symposium aims to further the discussion on materials for CST technologies and bring together researchers of diverse backgrounds (theoretical, computational, experimental, characterization, and analysis) to address the multidisciplinary challenges of this emerging field. Graduate students, post-docs, and early-career researchers are encouraged to submit abstracts. The symposium expects to draw participation and support from a national and international demographic from academia, national labs, and the commercial sector.

efficiency energy generation energy storage machine learning renewable Sustainability thermal conductivity