Sansano expounds on solar thermal concentration projections

Before the watchful eye of students and professors, David Saldivia, mechanical civil engineer from the Federico Santa María Technical University and PhD(c) in Renewable Energy from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) of Australia, gave the talk at Campus San Joaquín “Third generation Concentrated Solar Power (CSP): current situation and future projections”.

The activity, organized by the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the House of Studies, is part of the purpose of bringing research topics closer to undergraduate students. According to Rodrigo Barraza, an academic from the Department and organizer of the activity, “this type of event allows our students to learn about examples of alumni who have developed through research and continuing postgraduate studies, not only in Chile, but also abroad, as is the case with David. In addition, it allows them to approach various research topics associated with Mechanical Engineering that may be of interest to them in their future professional development”.

In his presentation, David Saldivia shared with the attendees his knowledge of concentrated solar power (CSP) or concentrated solar power, and his years of research on the subject, providing an overview of this area of ​​development both in terms of research and at a global level. commercial. “Concentrating solar in countries like Australia, China and the United States has an important niche, and I think it is one of the best alternatives we have to generate clean renewable energy, with storage capacity and ‘dispatchable’, that is, that can be deliver on demandaccording to the needs,” he said.

The sansano added that “I have been working on solar engineering for years, and I consider that today we are at a very interesting point, since concentrated solar power is developing rapidly worldwide, especially in countries that have development potential in matter, so this is a good time to jump on that bandwagon.”

Regarding the development of this area in Chile, Saldivia indicated that “at an academic level there is much to do. One of the problems with this technology is that at the experimental level it entails a very high investment, but there is a lot of research at the level of market analysis, modeling and optimization, which can be developed very effectively with the training we have here. I believe that from the USM we can contribute a lot in this matter, and I hope that some of the students who were present today will be interested in this area of ​​development”.

For Victoria Salinas, a fifth-year Mechanical Civil Engineering student, the activity was an opportunity to learn more about this technology. “I think the talk was very interesting, since it allowed me to learn more about this area of ​​development, which undoubtedly opens up new opportunities for my future work. I think it is very good that the University organizes these types of activities, since they allow us to know other areas where we can perform in our future”.

first level training

After graduating as a mechanical civil engineer, David Saldivia completed a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering at USM, to later complete his PhD in Renewable Energy at UNSW, in Australia, where he spent four years.

After this experience, the sansano highlights the level of academic training in Chile, especially at USM. “The tools, knowledge and technology that one is given at this university is of a very good level to develop abroad, one arrives prepared with a very good base. Personally, I have never felt that I have fallen short in knowledge or technical skills compared to other researchers with whom I work”.

In this sense, Saldivia adds that “it is very important to value the research that is being done in Chile, which is of a high level. We must understand that in our country it is possible to do quality research at a global level ”, he concluded.