The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) has issued a request for information (RFI) to gather insights about the integration of advanced supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO₂) and thermal energy storage with concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP). sCO₂ power cycles have the potential to reduce the cost of CSP by converting high-temperature solar heat into electricity far more efficiently than conventional power cycles. The goal of this RFI is to assess how the commercialization of sCO₂ integration with CSP can be accelerated. This information will help inform the office’s planning efforts.

The RFI covers four broad categories:

• The programmatic and strategic aspects of sCO₂ integration with CSP
• Components and designs of sCO₂ cycles
• Thermal energy storage
• Practical design considerations