The solar-driven steam and CO2 reforming of methane for the purpose of energy storage and transport is investigated jointly by The Weizmann Institite of Science and DLR, experiments being carried out at the solar tower facilities at The Weizmann Institite of Science, Israel. Two different reactor designs, a 480 kW tube receiver and a 280 kW volumetric receiver, will be tested and compared. The thermal reduction of metal oxides are high-temperature highly endothermic reactions that can be driven by concentrated solar energy. Direct absorption provides efficient means of heat transfer to chemical processes at the the reaction site and, under proper conditions, photochemical enhancement of the reaction. Selective photoreactions and materials development Photochemical reaction paths to generate chemicals of commercial value can produce highly selective and pure products, but the artificial light sources required lead to high power costs.
Solar energy is an alternative clean source of photons for certain photochemical reactions.
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