Through bold strides in engineering and prototyping, the Capella project propels Generation 3 CSP technology forward toward commercialization
PASADENA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE): Heliogen Inc. (OTCQX: HLGN) (the “Company”), a leading provider of concentrating solar energy technology, today announced the conclusion of Capella, a first-of-a-kind demonstration project. Jointly funded by Woodside Energy (USA) Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of global energy company Woodside Energy Group Ltd (NYSE: WDS; ASX: WDS) (“Woodside”), and the US Department of Energy, the project marked a significant milestone in the journey toward realizing lower-cost lower carbon energy solutions through a novel form of concentrating solar power (CSP) technology that is commonly referred to as “Generation 3” or “Gen 3”.
Capella advanced key technological innovations, targeting the deployment of a 5-MWe concentrated solar power plant. The project concluded after the front-end engineering and design phase, at which point Heliogen and Woodside decided not to pursue construction of the project due to cost escalation. Both parties continue to evaluate opportunities for further collaboration in deploying CSP technology.
“The Capella project achieved several first-ever milestones in prototyping and design, unlocking key learnings critical to improving the techno-economics for Gen 3 CSP,” said Christie Obiaya, CEO of Heliogen.
“We are deeply appreciative of the exceptional collaboration from Woodside,” continued Obiaya. “Our core focus now is on the massive demand growth for dispatchable, reliable low-carbon energy solutions driven by data centers. We are well-positioned to help meet those needs through deployment of our solution that leverages Gen 2 CSP, which is already proven and commercially deployed at scale, further enhanced by Heliogen’s machine-learning software.”
The intent of Gen 3 CSP innovation is to generate higher temperatures than traditional concentrated solar. In contrast, Gen 2 CSP is a mature technology that is successfully operating around the world and has proven capable of providing dispatchable thermal energy at a reduced cost and timeline compared to many other lower carbon energy alternatives.
“Through the collaboration between Woodside and Heliogen on Project Capella, we have demonstrated significant advances across a number of key work scopes. We thank the Heliogen team for its innovation and technical expertise on the project,” said Jason Crusan, Vice President of Energy Solutions, Woodside Energy.
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS OF CAPELLA PROJECT
The project completed several critical milestones, including:
- Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) Completion: Delivered FEED and a Class 2 cost estimate for a commercial-scale CSP plant––the first of its kind.
- Centrec Receiver Development: Advanced the Centrec particle receiver from R&D to prototype scale, incorporating novel design improvements and demonstrating successful heated particle flow.
- Supply Chain Partner Collaboration: Partnered with industry leaders to achieve significant progress on supporting technologies, such as supercritical CO₂ turbine technology with Hanwha Power Systems, and a novel particle heat exchanger (PHX) design.
- Modeling and Simulation Tools: Developed performance and cost modeling tools for Gen 3 particle systems.
- Permitting Progress: Secured key site approvals, including authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration, helping to lay a foundation for future projects.
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