247Solar to build hybrid concentrated solar plant in India with fossil-fuel backup

US startup 247Solar has contracted with India to build and operate a 1 MW concentrated solar plant. It uses heliostats, an ambient-pressure air receiver heated to about 970 °C and ceramic-pellet storage for 9–20 hours, while the same turbines can run on burned fuel when solar output falls short.

• First plant is 1 MW using two 200 kW generators
• Air leaves the receiver at roughly 970 °C
• Ceramic pellets store heat for 9–20 hours after sunset
• Fossil-fuel backup adds under 10% to total system cost