News

Heliostat Consortium Publishes Annual Report Highlighting Impactful Technical Projects, Opens Second RFP

The Heliostat Consortium (HelioCon) announced publication of the HelioCon Annual Report: 2023, which provides detailed information on progress the HelioCon team has made since its founding, including developing impactful technical projects; expanding the number of partnerships with industry, research, education, and other institutions; increasing staff size; providing information to a growing audience through its web presence; and participating in national and international conferences with industry leaders. HelioCon also announced the opening of a new request for proposals (RFP) focused on lowering the costs of heliostat technologies, improving performance, and creating new heliostat industry opportunities. Read the full news release.

Featured Researcher

Dr. Kenneth Armijo (NSTTF)

Dr. Kenneth Armijo is a systems engineering staff member who leads molten salt and molten alkali metals R&D at the National Solar Thermal Test Facility (NSTTF). His research interests are in alternative energy technologies and sustainability, as they pertain to scientific and technological innovation, business and policy. Dr. Armijo holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley with minors in Energy and Resources, and business credentials in Management of Technology (MOT) from Berkeley's Haas School of Business. Dr. Armijo’s research in concentrating solar power (CSP) and nuclear energy (NE) consists of system design for high-temperature (>720 °C) thermodynamic and commercial R&D systems, employing nitrate, chloride and fluoride molten salts and alkali metals (sodium) as the heat transfer fluid. He currently is the PI for multiple U.S. DOE projects, including the DOE Advanced Salt Valve project, and is the DOE Heliocon Components & controls Lead for the development of wireless and closed-loop controls technologies for advanced CSP/CST heliostats and field deployments. His thermal-fluids molten salt work has been in collaboration between CSP and Nuclear Energy industrial partners. His research has also consisted of falling particles for centralized concentrating solar receivers. He also leads research activities pertaining to solar Stirling Engine applications as well as for solar reactor R&D and high-flux materials characterization. Dr. Armijo also serves as a lead Test Director for high-temperature materials research for power towers and solar furnace investigations.

In addition to CSP, his research also includes, and has included Photovoltaics (PV) and Distributed Energy Technologies investigations pertaining to spectral derates phenomena of single, and multijunction devices, arc-fault plasma reliability physics, thermal phenomena of PV technologies and inverter/power electronics reliability research. His arc-fault analytical and experimental work also spans applications in Nuclear energy as well as other high-voltage/high-current DC power reliability applications, where he is recognized for work in the development of U.S. and international arc-fault detection and mitigation codes and standards. His CSP and PV work addresses his vision for a more economic and sustainable future, both locally and globally.

He currently holds multiple patents on a broad range of technologies; has over fifty publications and has had three startup companies in wireless infant/elderly health monitoring systems, solar water heating technologies and in organic sustainable agriculture. His research has previously received national attention for innovation in features published on CNN, Discovery Magazine and PBS, among others. He was also recently recognized for his professional achievement as a University of New Mexico Zia and UNM College of Engineering Distinguished Alumni, in addition to a recipient of the New Mexico Forty under 40 awards, as well as a top professional in the Hispanic Engineer and Information Technology magazine. 

Dr. Armijo is a proud native New Mexican who has provided technology development assistance through the New Mexico Small Business Assistance (NMSBA) program and is an active participant in Lab-to-Venture initiatives to help small businesses innovate to become successful. Kenneth continues to give back to his community through various organizations to help improve the opportunities for students from underprivileged backgrounds to have a chance at success, and in some cases break the cycle of poverty and struggle, which Kenneth and his family had previously had to face. In addition to his work in renewable energy, which impacts equity issues felt by the Hispanic community, Kenneth continues his work in education outreach as a means of improving the lives of so many that too could use the same helping hand that he received when he was younger, which continues to provide strong mentorship and resources to promote not just progress in science and engineering but in the lively hood of all Hispanics. He continues to use his scholarship and research experiences to facilitate a variety of STEM outreach programs for students and parents in both English and Spanish, both locally and Nationally. These programs, which include SNL’s MANOS and Noche de Ciencias programs, as well as UNM diversity programs has impacts over 1,000 students and parents annually for education levels K-PhD. Also, in his free time, he provides business operation support to his family's organic chile farm in central New Mexico. His work with solar chile roasting as well as agrivoltaics for improving crop production from increase climate change sun scorch with PV microgrids has also gained increased attention.

kmarmijo@sandia.gov

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