Futurology

Supercritical C02 turbines are fuel agnostic, but the really interesting development here is using them in conjunction with concentrated solar power systems. Power cycles based on a sCO2 working fluid have the potential for higher thermal efficiencies and a lower capital cost when compared to state-of-the-art steam-based power cycles.

Concentrated solar power has long taken a back seat to photovoltaics as the dominant means of generating solar power, but maybe it's about to have a renaissance. Australia’s National Science Agency CSIRO, says it has made a key breakthrough with concentrated solar thermal technology (CST) that could see it act as grid storage batteries.