eSolar's Modular, Scalable Molten Salt Power Tower Reference Plant Design

Abstract eSolar has completed design of a molten salt solar power tower with storage based on a 50-MWt module comprised of a tower- mounted molten salt receiver surrounded by a heliostat field utilizing eSolar's small heliostat technology. This basic thermal module can be replicated, without scaling or redesign, as many times as required to create plant sizes from 50 to 200 MW with capacity factors ranging from 20 to 75%. This paper describes the details of this molten salt reference plant design as developed over the past two years, as well as a potential scenario for staged initial commercial deployment that manages both risk and cost.