Vast Solar Pty Ltd. (Vast Solar) and Sage Geosystems Inc. (Sage) announced a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to evaluate global opportunities to integrate concentrated solar power (CSP) generation and long-duration energy storage (ES) deep in the earth to supply clean, dispatchable baseload electricity. Vast Solar and Sage aim to pair CSP and ES to deliver renewable baseload power at a reduced capital cost through technology integration and other synergies. This hybridization at solar power generation sites is expected to enhance availability, capacity, and reliability with long-duration energy storage.
Vast Solar’s CSP technology works by concentrating sunlight to heat sodium as it passes through receivers; heat is transferred from sodium to the molten salt heat transfer fluid and stored in hot salt tanks. The resulting heat can be converted into steam and then electricity as needed.
Sage’s geothermal storage system (called Battery+™) both stores and generates energy from the earth’s heat, so the resulting efficiency is >200%.
With an overall objective of developing a sustainable power sector through advancements in long-duration storage, there is a strong collaboration rationale between Vast Solar and Sage.