If you have recently earned your Ph.D. and are interested in doing postdoctoral research in the area of concentrating solar power (CSP), the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is interested in you. NREL‘s Concentrating Solar Power group is seeking participants in an upcoming postdoctoral fellowship opportunity to support CSP research at the lab. The fellowship is being offered through the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) program. The objective of the EERE Postdoctoral Fellowships is to create the next generation of scientific leaders in energy efficiency and renewable energy by attracting the best scientists and engineers to pursue breakthrough technologies in a highly prestigious postdoctoral research program. To meet this objective, EERE Fellows will have access to unique education and training opportunities, top scientists in their field, and state-of-the-art projects and equipment.

NREL is one of the DOE national laboratories that is participating in this effort. The CSP group at the lab offers a wide range of expertise and capabilities that can support the research of EERE Fellows. Applications are now available and the application deadline is June 30, 2011.

For more information, see the EERE Postdoctoral Fellowships page on the DOE website.

Research Staff. Here you'll find contact information for NREL's concentrating solar power research team and staff:

·        Mark Mehos, Principal Program Manager - mark.mehos@nrel.gov - 303-384-7458

·        Teri Spinuzzi, Administrative Assistant - teri.spinuzzi@nrel.gov - 303-384-7425

·        Mark Bernardi, Research Technician   mark.bernardi@nrel.gov  303-384-6144

·        Carl Bingham, Senior Engineer - carl.bingham@nrel.gov -303-384-7477

·        Nate Blair, Group Manager, Data Analysis and Visualization - nate.blair@nrel.gov
303-384-7426

·        Dan Blake, Principal Scientist - daniel.blake@nrel.gov - 303-384-7882

·        Frank Burkholder, Mechanical Engineer II - frank.burkholder@nrel.gov -303-384-7564

·        Greg Glatzmaier, Senior Engineer II - greg.glatzmaier@nrel.gov - 303-384-7470

·        Allison Gray, Engineer I - allison.gray@nrel.gov - 303-384-7405

·        Gary Jorgensen, Principal Scientist - gary.jorgensen@nrel.gov - 303-3844-6113

·        Cheryl Kennedy, Senior Scientist I - cheryl.kennedy@nrel.gov - 303-384-6272

·        Chuck Kutscher, Principal Engineer/Group Manager - chuck.kutscher@nrel.gov -
303-384-7521

NREL's R&D projects in concentrating solar power focus on parabolic trough solar technology and advanced concentrating solar power technologies. We also support the U.S. Department of Energy in its concentrating solar power deployment efforts.

Parabolic Trough Solar Technology. Parabolic trough solar technology is a proven, robust, and reliable power source for large, utility-scale power plants. In addition to proven performance, the main advantages of parabolic troughs include: manufacturing simplicity; use of standard equipment and improvements; improvement in cost effectiveness; low technical and financial risk to the investor. Despite its advantages, parabolic trough solar technology is not yet cost competitive in today's energy market. However, the technology has great potential for cost reduction. NREL works not only to improve parabolic trough technology but also to increase its cost effectiveness through the following R&D projects: parabolic trough solar field technology; parabolic trough thermal energy storage technology; parabolic trough solar power plant technology; parabolic trough systems integration.

Advanced Concentrating Solar Power Technologies. NREL's research and development in advanced concentrating solar power technologies includes the following crosscutting projects that aren't tied to a single concentrating solar power technology: Advanced optical materials for concentrating solar power; Concentrating photovoltaic technology.

Concentrating Solar Power System Deployment. NREL currently supports the following U.S. Department of Energy concentrating solar power system deployment efforts: Southwest Concentrating Solar Power 1000-MW Initiative; USA Trough Initiative.

Advanced Optical Materials for Concentrating Solar Power. NREL researchers use a variety of equipment, including the 1400W solar simulator shown, to test optical materials. NREL works to develop durable, low-cost optical materials for concentrating solar power systems. These optical materials - which reflect, absorb, and transmit solar energy - play a fundamental role in the overall cost and efficiency of all concentrating solar power systems. Today, the solar collectors used in concentrating solar power systems account for approximately 50% of the total capital cost of power plants. The solar reflector costs for these systems represent about 30% of the collector cost. To reduce the costs of solar collectors, NREL focuses on improving the stability of selective coatings at higher temperatures for use on optical materials.

By Vasil Sidorov on October 29, 2011 

Technopark QUELTA, Queltanews Office

Nizhyn Laboratories of Scanning Devices

sidorovvasil@gmail.com