At the end of 2010, about 1,300 megawatts (MW) of concentrating solar power50
(CSP) capacity was in operation worldwide, with 512 MW in the United States.
More than half of the U.S. capacity was built in southern California in the 1980s.
More recently, there has been increased interest in CSP technologies as a result of
greater demand for renewable energy, government-supported research and
development (R&D), and improved economics through policy initiatives. In the past
few years, multiple utility-scale plants have been built, and almost 12 gigawatts
(GW) of capacity were under construction or under contract worldwide during 2010.
Of this total, almost 10 GW represented CSP plants with signed power purchase
agreements (PPAs) under development in the U.S. Southwest (SEIA 2010).
CSP is composed of a diverse mix of technologies, at different stages of maturity,
which convert sunlight into thermal energy and then use this thermal energy to
generate electricity. A key characteristic of CSP is its built-in thermal inertia, which
can provide stability in plant output during slight changes in solar radiation, such as
when a cloud passes overhead. Because CSP uses thermal energy, it can also
incorporate thermal energy storage (TES), fossil-fuel backup/hybridization, or both
for higher levels of stability and dispatchability and increased duration of energy
output. These attributes allow CSP plants to obtain capacity credits similar to those
for fossil-fuel power systems and provide a firm energy resource that improves grid
operations.
This chapter evaluates the current cost, performance, and potential of several CSP
technologies. A detailed discussion of the opportunities for potential cost reductions
to existing and emerging CSP technologies is provided. Key challenges to achieving
the level of CSP growth envisioned in the SunShot scenario are evaluated, including
potential materials-supply constraints as well as manufacturing scale-up issues. This
analysis makes it clear that continued CSP technology advances and cost reductions,
through both continued R&D investments and increased deployment activities, will
be necessary for achieving the SunShot scenario. In particular, CSP’s ability to
provide firm, dispatchable power generation will play a critical role in enabling the
U.S. electricity generation system to operate safely and reliably under the SunShot
scenario’s levels of solar technology deployment