It isn't totally new, nothing under the sun etc etc, but honestly it's closer to a hot water tank than it is to CSP. Which makes sense, since the original conception of PNE was a hot water tank IIRC.
CSP stores heat as a means to produce electricity, the PNE sand battery stores heat as a means to provide heat. CSP's molten salt was heated by pumping it through (solar) heated pipes, which meant it had to have the correct fluid properties etc. The PNE sand is heated in-place via electricity which means it can be basically any old crap, as long as it's inert at 600 degrees or less.
In other words, CSP differs drastically by the energy input method, the energy output method, and the composition and requirements of the storage medium.
Basically all of the PNE tech is centuries old, the point is that together in this specific configuration they're an incredibly cheap heat storage medium - resistive heating, insulation, sand, all cheap.
In 2012 Vast Solar commenced its 1.2 MW Performance Validation Project which was supported by funding from the then Australian Solar Institute.
This CST project was completed on 22 October 2019.
Scaled up second stage is being built out now (2024):
Vast said on Friday that it has partnered up with global design and manufacturing firm Contratos y Diseños Industriales (CYD) to take the next step forward on its VS1 project, the 30MW/288MWh plant in South Australia.
