Multilayer selective coatings for high temperature solar applications

Increasing the share of renewables in the energy mix has a key function for the security of energy supply and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels. The purpose of this book is to develop new solar selective coating (SSC) designs for high-temperature applications in order to improve the performance of concentrating solar power (CSP) plants. The main part of this work has been carried out in the company Abengoa, which is a world leader in the development of CSP plants, but also with the collaboration of other well-recognized academic organizations (ICMS-CSIC, CTMand the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf) and the SME Metal Estalki. The improvement in efficiencies in solar thermal energy plants partially means the increase in the receivers’ temperature, aiming to reach up an average maximum temperature of 650ºC for superheated steam and molten salts receivers. There are several R&D approaches to substitute commercial absorber paints due to the degradation problems they show when exposed to air at high temperatures. The different routes include the development of new solar selective coatings fabricated using PVD techniques.