The growing need for cost-effective superpower plants has come up with a solution as Concentrated Solar Power (CSP)

This blog is about the superpower plant mechanism and its adoption worldwide. Here is the summary:

• What is concentrated solar power
• How does the concentrated solar power work
• What are the major benefits of concentrated solar power
• What are the disadvantages of using concentrated solar power
• What is the future perspective
• Several reports worldwide
• Comparison in different countries

What is concentrated solar power (CSP)?

The innovative way of generating electricity with the help of a mirror can be named Concentrated solar power (CSP). The sunlight is reflected through mirrors which get concentrated when the focal length is adjusted onto a particular point. This channelizes the light to create a huge heat and is then used to make steam. The steam is then used to drive the turbine to generate electricity. The CSP Technology comes with the storage of heat and can be repeated during sunny days to get benefitted on cloudy days or even at the night. The International Energy Agency (IEA) says, in the year 2019 the CSP generation increased by approximately 34%.

How does CSP work?

The main technology that is involved here is the perfect configuration of the mirror. The receiver gets the reflected and concentrated light and converts it to heat. Water is then converted into steam by the heat and electricity is generated by driving the turbine with the help of steam. The thermal storage system attached to the CSP plants can store the heat until needed. The CSP proves to be a flexible source of renewable energy.

CSP systems are able to get combined with other thermal-fired power plants that use fuels like coal, natural gas, and biofuel.

The main four types of CSP technologies are as described below:

1. Parabolic trough systems – As the name suggests the solar energy is reflected usingcurved, trough-shaped mirrors, and passed through the receiver pipe which contains thermal oil. This oil gets heated and can be used in the steam generator.
2. Power tower systems – This involves heliostat mirrors (a system of mirrors which tracks the sun) set at the top of a tower. The receiver pipes generally contains molten salts and is heated inside. This hot fluid is then used to drive turbine for power generation.
3. Linear fresnel systems – In this system the mirrors are arranged in the ground and laid flat. The receiver pipes are attached above. Fresnel can also store thermal power in a power block.
4. Parabolic dish systems – The concentrator attached here is a parabolic-shaped dish and this system again uses heliostat mirrors. The concentrator dish attains a very high temperatures, making the system suitable for the powerful solar reactors.

Our research team has come up with the different Pros and Cons of concentrated solar power. We are trying to compile them as follows:

Pros:

1. It’s Renewable. This source of energy is sustainable as it runs on natural resources. Reducing carbon footprints and saving earth’s resources like fossil fuel makes it best suited for environment.
2. When compared to other systems CSP shows continuity in generating electricity. As the CSP stores energy in the form of heat in molten salts, it proves to be a reliable source.
3. If there exists a steam-based power plant or any fuel powered plant already, then the CSP well blends into it.
4. Being the basic need now a days, the electricity needs to be low cost for the convenience. CSP is relatively much cost efficient as compared to the other hydrocarbon-based or nuclear plants.
5. In terms of production, CSP can also be combined with the other energy sources, which in turn creates a secure energy grid and can easily meet future electricity demand.
6. As it stores energy in other forms, CSP is one of the most convenient system to port energy.

Cons:

1. CSP is mostly dependent on location of installation as it larger space to operate. In populated areas CSP can be uneconomical.
2. CSP has a huge usage of water and sea water cannot be a permanent solution for this as there might be solar radiation issues in the surrounding landscape.
3. The extreme light and heat generated by CSP can make the living of some animal species difficult.
4. As CSP usage molten salt as an ingredient, the operating range of the same becomes limited. Chemicals like molten salt solidifies when the temperature is low.

[Read more: Innovation and evolution are making the world more energy-efficient and beautiful place. Let’s see the Creative Applications of Solar Energy]

CSP has a huge range of usage in the market. Let us now discuss the possibilities:

1. As per NS Energy, global CSP installations is 5.4GW in 2018.
2. Spain has the most number of the world’s CSP plants which is about 42% of all CSP installations in the world. Spainis planning to double its CSP capacity by 2025.
3. The largest CSP plant is in Morocco and is named – the Ouarzazate Solar Power Station. It has a capacity of 510MW and supports power consumption of approximately 1.1. Million Moroccans.
4. Dubai is now constructing a 700MW CSP project. This plant is planned to use a combination of parabolic trough and solar tower technologies.
5. The number of CSP Projects in the USA is currently 52, the largest of them is 392MW and is in theIvanpah facility in California.

Not only in the current days, let us now focus on what the future holds for Concentrated Solar Power:

The solar industry is growing rapidly over the last 15 years across the globe. According to the reports of Solar Spaces, globally there are over 130 CSP projects with a total capacity of 5,500 MW.

As we have discussed earlier, the establishment cost of the CSP plants is high. In the future, the government of several countries needs to be financially supportive of adopting these projects.

In the near future, the CSP is going to experience huge technological development. In the present day, the researchers are working on how to make fuel for daily usage from air and light using the CSP Mechanism. The IEA has declared that, by the end of this century, the global temperature can be reduced by two degrees if the CO2 is removed from the air. With hope in our hearts, we look forward to the Concentrated solar power mechanism the successful removal of carbon dioxide. Researchers of the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) are working on how to make CSP able to capture CO2 from the air and remove it by using amino acid reaction.

Being the most user-friendly website, the iSolarWorld is growing to be the information hub for the various mechanism of solar power projects. The more research we do for providing the best knowledge, the more it grows the interest in our readers. In the near future, iSolarWorld will surely provide the best one-click solutions to those who thrive to save the world’s natural resources. To unfold studies of the same visit the website and stay updated with the information about what is being done globally. We are always available at – www.isolarworld.com