MATS · Multipurpose Applications by Thermodynamic Solar

The proposed MATS Project aims at promoting the exploitation of concentrated solar energy through small and middle scale facilities, suitable to fulfil local requirements of power and heat, and easily to back-up with the renewable fuels locally already available or that can be expressly produced. The implementation of the project will allow to test the CSP (Concentrating Solar Power) technology in a location very advantageous with regard to the solar radiation rate as an example for the diffusion of this technology in other Mediterranean Countrie. Besides, it will represent the start-up for a development of specialized local industries.More in detail, the MATS project is focused on the innovative CSP technology developed by ENEA as an improvement of its Solar Thermodynamic technology based on molten salts as heat transfer fluid. This technology, referred as TREBIOS, allows combined heat and power production from solar source integrated with renewable fuels, such as biomass, biogas, industrial residues etc. by means of standardized units that provide high performances and limited cost.The objective of the proposal is the full scale demonstration of TREBIOS technology through the industrial development, the realization and the experimental operation of a multipurpose facility to be installed in Egypt. The thermal energy produced by this plant will be used as energy source in a desalination unit included in the installation, as well as for district heating and cooling. The use of suitable heat storage systems enhance mismatch of power production from the instantaneous solar radiation availability. These features enable electrical energy production “on demand” and the optimized utilization of captured solar heat by additional loads like desalination units. The integration with a back up fuel like biomass makes the system flexible and enables continuous power production