Cranfield University today cemented its importance in the field of Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) with the opening of the ‘Global CSP Laboratory’.
The University is home to the largest CSP research activity in the UK and Cranfield is the only UK representative on the EERA (European Energy Research Alliance) Joint Committee on CSP.
The new Global CSP Laboratory – the UK Centre for Concentrating Solar Thermal Manufacturing, sponsored by UK company Global CSP, will be the home of an internationally recognised research and manufacturing team led by Cranfield’s Dr Chris Sansom, working on Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) and Solar Thermal (ST) technologies and their applications.
Graham Provan, CEO of Global CSP, said: “The collaboration between Cranfield University and Global CSP has the potential to make a significant contribution to many renewable energy roadmaps worldwide. We jointly have the talent and passion to be a world leader in small-to-medium-scale CSP applications."
Cranfield has been involved in a number of CSP projects over recent years, including the MATS Project, FRESH NRG, and STAGE-STE , all funded by the European Union. The Cranfield team is also working with Pakistan’s COMSATS Institute of Information Technology on a solar cooker, to significantly improve the quality of life for rural communities in the developing world.
The Laboratory builds on the existing relationship with Global CSP, announced in 2013. The two organisations joined forces to develop two solar energy projects involving an innovative CSP collector for small-to-medium scale applications (up to 1MW) and an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) generator. Global CSP, led by CEO Graham Provan, is the developer of an innovative sealed 'solar captor' and associated power systems especially designed for small-to-medium-scale CSP applications.