Heliogen tests its concentrated solar control software at Sandia Labs

Concentrated solar power manufacturer Heliogen’s demonstration facility in Lancaster, California. (Courtesy: Heliogen)

Heliogen, a provider of AI-enabled concentrating solar energy technology, says it has demonstrated the effectiveness of its proprietary control system at Sandia National Laboratories’ National Solar Thermal Test Facility (NSTTF).

The project, funded by the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Technology Commercialization Fund, provides third-party validation data that Heliogen says is essential to its software licensing potential.

The project was designed to evaluate potential improvements in the operation of concentrating solar power facilities. In a recent test, Heliogen’s closed-loop software was deployed on third-party heliostats, in what the company calls a first in the industry. This technology is used in detecting optical inaccuracies and initiating autonomous correction, which can improve the efficiency of existing CSP plants, Heliogen said.

According to the company, correcting the aim of the NSTTF heliostats using its software reduced tracking error to 0.33 mrad, surpassing the project target of less than 1.0 mrad. The software also measured the alignment of the mirror facets to improve beam quality.

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The software’s automated correction of heliostat-pointing inaccuracies aims to lower operational and maintenance costs by reducing the need for offline calibration and continually optimizing system efficiency for maximum sunlight collection, Heliogen added.

Testing was conducted at the NSTTF, the only test facility of its type in the United States. Funded through the Technology Commercialization Fund, an initiative to commercialize promising energy technologies from DOE’s national laboratories, the Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) awarded the project in 2020.

Heliogen was recently suspended from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) after the company fell below the NYSE’s continued listing standard, which requires companies to maintain an average global market capitalization of at least $15 million over a consecutive 30-day trading period.

Heliogen says it intends to appeal the delisting determination. Following the suspension, Heliogen announced it had commenced trading on the OTCQX Best Market under the ticker symbol “HLGN.”

Originally published in Power Engineering International.