Concentrated Solar Power is one of the most versatile of the clean energy options. As it focuses on capturing heat from the sun it can use this
immense power to generate electricity, desalinate water, as well as create hydrogen and oxygen
It also has the ability to store heat simply, releasing it when necessary, allowing it to be available both day and night.
CSP Plants can produce clean electricity, fresh water, Hydrogen and Oxygen
CSP Plants can also store the heat they collect during the day to be released at night when the suns' energy is needed
Between 2009 and 2019, global capacity of CSP increased nearly eightfold - from 0.8 Gigawatts to 6.2 Gigawatts
Although CSP generation increased by an estimated 34% in 2019, the IEA estimates that CSP is still not on track with their Sustainable Development Scenario for 2030
Over the last decade, levelised cost of electricity from CSP has fallen by nearly 50%
CSP costs will be well within the fossil fuel range in just a few years & with its heat storage option it is as 'on demand' as fossil fuels
Hydrogen demand will also increase greatly in the coming years and CSP is already designed to provide this
CSP along with other clean energy production systems is essential, as more investment is put in to large scale and multiple production plants, costs
will fall and energy prices will be cheaper and of course longer lasting than limited fossil fuel options
Indepth Study
An Introduction
Concentrated solar power (CSP) systems generate solar power by using mirrors to concentrate a large area of sunlight onto a receiver. Through this
process, a special heat transfer fluid inside the receiver is rapidly heated and can later be used to boil water.
The steam produced from the boiling water is then used do drive a turbine which is connected to an electric generator.
History and Trends
Professor Giovanni Francia designed and built the first concentrated-solar plant in Italy in 1968. Although there were a few other plants built in the
following decades, it wasn’t until the mid-2000s that concentrated-solar power really started to become popular
Standard CSP Electricity Generating Plant Schematic using Salt Heat Storage
Between 2009 and 2019, global capacity of CSP increased nearly eightfold - from 0.8 Gigawatts to 6.2 Gigawatts. Until 2014, almost all new CSP
projects were located in Spain and the United States. However, these two countries have since levelled off and have not increased their CSP capacity
at all in the last four years. In 2019, Israel led the market in new additions, followed by China, South Africa, Kuwait and France.
Generation Goals
Although CSP generation increased by an estimated 34% in 2019, the IEA estimates that CSP is still not on track with their Sustainable Development
Scenario for 2030.
Policy designs that emphasise the value of CSP plant storage will be key to attract additional investment.
Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2019: IRENA[3]
Over the last decade, levelised cost of electricity from CSP has fallen by nearly 50%. According to estimates from IRENA (International Renewable
Energy Agency), in the next few years, CSP costs should fall well within the current fossil fuel range, making it a competitive option financially.
Benefits
1. 100% Clean Energy
Because CSP systems use 100% solar energy, they produce zero emissions. An energy source that doesn't cause pollution!
2. Thermal Storage
Unlike other clean energy technologies which produce electricity immediately, CSP can be stored for long periods of time before being used to
generate electricity. In fact, special heat transfer fluids such as molten salts lose only about 1 degree of heat a day. So in theory, it is possible
to store and top-up the energy for months. This means that unlike solar photovoltaic, CSP can be used to generate electricity outside of daylight hours
and on non-sunny days[4][5]
3. Low Costs
As mentioned before, generations costs for CSP have fallen dramatically over the past 10 years. If we continue to invest in CSP technologies, it will
soon become less expensive than the cheapest fossil fuel alternatives.
Future Possibilities
One of the most important advantages of CSP is its ability to be paired with other technologies to solve
other global problems. Because of the nature of CSP systems, there is a huge range of possibilities for the future.
CSP Desalination
One of the most exciting possibilities for the future is the idea of using CSP to produce freshwater. In regions like the Middle East, desalination
plants are already being used to provide fresh water. However, most of these plants rely heavily on fossil fuels.
If we combine CSP with desalination technologies, it will enable us to design a system that not only produces clean electricity, but also converts
seawater into freshwater. This could be an ideal solution for regions that receive a large amount of sunlight but don’t have access to large supplies
of freshwater.
Standard Hydrogen and Oxygen Production Through Electrolysis
To make hydrogen, all you need is water and electricity. Through a process called electrolysis, the water can be split into its most basic elements:
Hydrogen and Oxygen.
In theory, we should be able to use any extra clean electricity generated from CSP plants to perform this process.
The Oxygen can be useful to industry or hospitals and the Hydrogen can be used as a convenient way to transport and store clean energy.
Gorjian, Shiva & Ghobadian, Barat. (2015). Solar desalination: A sustainable solution to water crisis in Iran. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. 48. 571-584. 10.1016/j.rser.2015.04.009.
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