Concentrated Solar Power system with Thermal Energy Storage
STEM® - Solar Thermo-Electric Magaldi

The energy radiated by the sun in just one second is enough to cover our energy needs for half a billion years.

STEM®-CSP (Concentrated Solar Power) is the innovative thermal energy storage technology developed and consolidated by Magaldi able to play a leading role in the global decarbonization. Solar Thermo Electric Magaldi (STEM®) represents a technological breakthrough in the Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) sector by meeting up the challenge of designing and building a simple and completely green system.

A STEM®-CSP module is made of:
Solar radiation is captured by heliostats and concentrated on a secondary reflector, which directs it into a central solar receiver containing a fluidized bed of sand, containing the heat exchangers for superheated steam generation.

• heliostats field;
• secondary reflector;
• integrated solar receiver;
• fluidizing air system;
• automation and control system.

The solid particles fluidised bed, directly irradiated by sunrays:
The added value of STEM®-CSP is given by the following specific points:
In the basic configuration, a single module of 1000 tonn of sand let to storage up to 80 MWh of thermal energy in a range of 620 and 350 °C.

• guarantees unique capacity of absorbing intensive and variable solar power flux, with intrinsic safety;
• ensures high thermal diffusivity in the storage medium, with operating temperatures higher than those presently available for other CSP technologies;
• allows effective thermal power transferring to the heat exchangers, immersed in the fluidized bed, for the energy storage.

• the solar receiver and the thermal energy storage and heat transfer devices are integrated in a single piece of equipment, the Magaldi Integrated Receiver - MIR. The MIR is equipped with an innovative solid particles fluidized bed and incorporates the functions of solar radiation capture, storage of thermal energy (as sensible heat of solid particles) and heat transfer to the steam;
• the optical system is equipped with beam down configuration, allowing the solar receiver to be based on the ground;
• the system is modular and scalable, allowing to build up an installation of the required size by connecting several standard modules, in order to reach the needed output of steam;
• the modules have been designed to provide long term energy storage.

Combining different functions into a single integrated solar receiver and using low cost materials (sand and air) for the fluidized bed enables a simple and cost effective CSP solution. In this perspective STEM®-CSP has been designed having a keen eye to environment, using components completely recyclable, eco-compatible, simple and highly reliable over time.

STEM®-CSP is capable of delivering electricity, high-quality heat and energy storage, thus providing on-demand generation of steam for a number of civil and industrial applications that, thanks to its thermal energy storage capabilities, can be dispatched also after sunset or during cloudy periods.

A number of STEM®-CSP modules, assembled in one system, can work in series or in parallel, allowing a flexible and dependable steam generation, tunable according to the user needs.

STEM®-CSP is therefore a highly flexible system for the generation of thermal energy that can be turned on and off when necessary without any technical or climatic constraints. Its characteristics make it an optimal solution for supplying electricity or steam, both for industrial and residential uses, in countries with a high level of insolation (DNI).

STEM®-CSP can increase the flexibility of any system, even pre-existing, of energy production and optimize its performance through the combination (hybridization) with the surplus of energy deriving from other non-programmable sources present on site (e.g. photovoltaic and wind power).