2012-05-31-IRENA-Renewable_Energy_Cost_Analysis_-_Concentrating_Solar_Power_48页_2mb

Concentrating Solar Power Technologies Summary

Concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies harness sunlight using mirrors and lenses to generate heat for electricity production, with or without thermal energy storage (TES). The main types include parabolic trough, linear Fresnel, solar tower, and Stirling dish systems.

1. Parabolic Trough Technology

• Description: Uses curved mirrors to concentrate sunlight on a central receiver tube, heating a fluid (e.g., synthetic oil or molten salt) to generate steam for electricity.
• Key Features:
  • Estimated installed costs: USD 4,600–9,800/kW (including storage).
  • Capacity factors: 20–53% (e.g., with 6 hours TES).
  • O&M costs: USD 0.02–0.035/kWh.
  • LCOE: 0.20–0.37 USD/kWh (2011–2020 projections).
• Advantages: Mature technology, cost-effective (no storage), good for combined cycle systems.
• Limitations: Moderate efficiency, requires storage for higher capacity factors (capacity factor doubles with TES). Water-intensive cooling can be a concern.

2. Linear Fresnel Collector (LFC)

• Description: Uses flat or slightly curved mirrors to focus sunlight onto a fixed receiver.
• Key Features:
  • Estimated installed costs: USD 6,300–7,500/kW.
  • Capacity factors: 40–45% (6–7.5 hours storage).
  • O&M costs: USD 0.02–0.03 USD/kWh.
  • LCOE: 0.20–0.27 USD/kWh (2011–2020).
• Advantages: Cheaper mirrors, less steel/concrete use.
• Disadvantages: Lower optical efficiency (due to cosine losses), no commercial scale deployment yet.

3. Solar Tower Technology

• Description: Concentrates sunlight via heliostats (mirrors) onto a central receiver atop a tall tower.
• Key Features:
  • Estimated installed costs: USD 6,000–10,500/kW (6–15 hours storage).
  • Capacity factors: 40–80% (e.g., with 12–15 hours TES).
  • O&M costs: USD 0.02–0.03 USD/kWh.
  • LCOE: 0.17–0.29 USD/kWh (2011–2020).
• Advantages: Higher operating temperatures (molten salt HTF), modular design, dry cooling suitability.
• Limitations: Higher initial costs, technical risks due to less maturity, requires complex tracking.

4. Stirling Dish Technology

• Description: Uses parabolic dishes to focus sunlight on a Stirling engine or microturbine.
• Key Features:
  • Estimated installed costs: sub-USD 0.03/kWh.
  • Capacity factors: 25–28%.
  • Advantages**: High efficiency (peak temperatures), modular and suitable for distributed/dry-cooled applications.
• Limitations: Early stage, no commercial deployment (high costs, storage integration challenges).

Global Market Trends

• Deployment: Dominated by Spain (1.3 GW, July 2012) and the US (518 MW).
• Technology Maturity: Parabolic trough dominant (94% of 1,229 MW in 2010).
• Cost Sensitivity: LCOE varies with solar resource (DNI):
  • High DNI (e.g., South Africa, USA): LCOE reduced by 25–35%.
• Learning Curve: 8–10% learning curve for components costing USD 5–10/kW.

Conclusion

Key challenges include:

• Capital Costs: High upfront investment (solar field and TES dominate costs).
• Technology Scalability: Solar tower advancements offer potential cost reductions (28–69% reduction).