Uses of Concentrated Solar Energy in Materials Science

Concentrated solar energy (CSE) represents an alternative to other types of energy beams for treating and modifying the surfaces of metallic materials. The research conducted by the Metallic Materials group of ETSII-UCLM (Spain) is interesting for two reasons. First, it is breaking new ground in the use of new non-contaminating and environmentally acceptable technologies for processes involving the surface modification of metallic materials at high temperatures. Second, it is increasing scientific knowledge about the mechanisms involved when processing materials at high temperatures under non-equilibrium conditions. In the studies carried out to date, it has been observed that CSE has a clear activator effect, which results both in shorter treatment times and therefore, in increased processing efficiency, and in improved quality of the modified surface. For high-temperature processes, concentrated solar energy has shown to be highly energy efficient and also competitive in terms of cost. It is especially suitable for countries such as Spain, which has a high number of sunny days per year. Going forward, one of the main challenges for the scientific community will be to develop industrial applications for solar technology, especially in the current context, where energy-efficiency and environmental preservation have become top social priorities.

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