Concentrated Solar Power: Actual Performance and Foreseeable Future in High Penetration Scenarios of Renewable Energies

  1. de Castro, Carlos
  2. Capellán-Pérez, Iñigo
Revista:
BioPhysical Economics and Resource Quality

ISSN: 2366-0112,  2366-0120

Año de publicación: 2018

Volumen: 3

Número: 3

Tipo: Artículo

DOI: 10.1007/S41247-018-0043-6 GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openAcceso abierto editor

Otras publicaciones en: BioPhysical Economics and Resource Quality

Resumen

Analyses proposing a high share of concentrated solar power (CSP) in future 100% renewable energy scenarios rely on the ability of this technology, through storage and/or hybridization, to partially avoid the problems associated with the hourly/daily (short-term) variability of other variable renewable sources such as wind or solar photovoltaic. However, data used in the scientific literature are mainly theoretical values. In this work, the actual performance of CSP plants in operation from publicly available data from four countries (Spain, the USA, India, and United Arab Emirates) has been estimated for three dimensions: capacity factor (CF), seasonal variability, and energy return on energy invested (EROI). In fact, the results obtained show that the actual performance of CSP plants is significantly worse than that projected by constructors and considered by the scientific literature in the theoretical studies: a CF in the range of 0.15–0.3, low standard EROI (1.3:1–2.4:1), intensive use of materials—some scarce, and significant seasonal intermittence. In the light of the obtained results, the potential contribution of current CSP technologies in a future 100% renewable energy system seems very limited

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