SERC promotes new energy storage trends with a special focus on mining

By SERC Chile
June 13, 2024

This is a machine translation of the original press release issued in Spanish.

The Solar Energy Research Center (SERC Chile), together with the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, held a Workshop to promote new trends in research on energy storage, where comprehensive, sustainable and sustainable solutions that bring the country closer to the goal were prioritized to achieve carbon neutrality.

Among the speakers was the SERC CHILE principal researcher, José Miguel Cardemil, who spoke about thermal batteries as an alternative to decarbonize industrial heat; idea that is being promoted by 28 companies in the world, where the proposal is to work the copper slag, in a series of pilots of up to 225 liters, as an experimental prototype that allows us to get closer to building an economical and easily mobile thermal storage system. (transportable) to decarbonize the industrial system.

“We dream of an integrated energy system. Go from the electricity sector to different forms of energy and from each of these sectors, achieve carbon neutrality,” said Cardemil.

Likewise, the academic and principal researcher of SERC CHILE, Frank Dinter, spoke about Fraunhofer Chile Research's projects in storage and green hydrogen, through hybrid and flexible plants that combine technologies to produce green hydrogen at very low cost.

"In the industrial sector, we have as an example the Gabriela Mistral mine of Codelco, which has a storage of 4,600 cubic meters, and per day it achieves a saving of 20,000 liters of fuel, which is equivalent to 250 trucks that do not need to travel to the mine," Dinter explained.

Research and science meetings

The event was held at the San Joaquín campus of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and featured presentations by other SERC CHILE researchers such as Marcelo Cortés, Mario Toledo, Luis Gutiérrez, Pablo Estevez, Felipe Battisti, Felipe Huerta, Andrés Villarruel, Mónica Zamora and Rodrigo Barraza.

Among the most debated topics were the cellular automaton model for the prediction of corrosion in thermal storage systems with molten salts in CSP plants; techno-economic evaluation of solar cooling system; solar variability and possible research routes in storage, among others.

Along these lines, the director of SERC CHILE, Rodrigo Palma Behnke, reported that they will continue to promote spaces for debate, knowledge and publication of research to publicize advances in storage systems to support the efficiency of renewable energies and guarantee its maximum use in energy systems.