Concentrated solar power generation has low cost

How much does a solar power plant cost?

THE LEVELISED COST OF ELECTRICITY FROM CSP Concentrating solar power (CSP) plants are capital intensive, but have virtually zero fuel costs. Parabolic trough plant without thermal energy storage have capital costs as low as USD 4 600/kW, but low capacity factors of between 0.2 and 0.25.

What is concentrating solar power (CSP)?

C oncentrating solar power (CSP) is a power generation technology that uses mirrors or lenses4 to concentrate the sun’s rays and, in most of today’s CSP systems, to heat a fluid and produce steam. The steam drives a turbine and generates power in the same way as conventional power plants.

Can concentrating solar power be integrated with thermal energy storage?

Concentrating solar power (CSP), when integrated with thermal energy storage (TES), can address both intermittency and storage needs by providing dispatchable renewable electricity.

What is concentrated solar power (CSP) & thermal energy storage (TES)?

Concentrated solar power (CSP) is a promising technology to generate electricity from solar energy. Thermal energy storage (TES) is a crucial element in CSP plants for storing surplus heat from the solar field and utilizing it when needed.

Is CSP a viable alternative to bulk electricity?

Integrating 12+ hours of thermal storage is now feasible at reasonable costs, enabling full dispatchability. Furthermore, as costs fall, CSP becomes viable for more applications beyond bulk electricity like industrial process heat, water desalination, solar fuels production, and off-grid uses.

Is hybrid CSP a good solar energy configuration?

If the energy demand is high in comparison to the available energy storage and primary resources, Ayadi et al. evaluated the hybrid CSP technology as a solar energy configuration that satisfies predictability and dispatchability requirements.