In this paper we compare development trends, economics and financial risks of alternative large-scale solar power generation technologies (parabolic trough, solar tower, and three different photovoltaic technologies). In particular, a number of European countries, Algeria and the US promote...

Molten-salt thermocline tanks are a low-cost energy storage option for concentrating solar power plants. Despite the potential economic advantage, the capacity of thermocline tanks to store sufficient amounts of high-temperature heat is limited by the low energy density of the constituent...

Optical system design has a significant impact on solar power plant efficiency. It can be advantageous to be able to very precisely adapt mirror shapes in order to improve energy yield. In this article it is investigated whether it is feasible to use non-uniform rational Béziers splines (NURBS)...

Thermal energy storage plays an important role in extending the operation of a concentrating solar power (CSP) plant to times when sufficient solar energy is unavailable for generation of electricity. Extending the CSP plant operation increases its capacity factor and can lead to reduction in...

Coal power coupled with Carbon [Dioxide] Capture and Storage (CCS), and Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) technologies are often included in the portfolio of climate change mitigation options intended to decarbonize electricity systems. Both of these technologies can provide baseload electricity,...

Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) uses the solar radiation to produce electricity by means of a thermal cycle. This technology presents advantages over other renewables from the point of view of its integration into the grid and electricity markets. The reason lays mainly in its capabily of...

Solar energy is an important alternative energy source to fossil fuels and theoretically the most available energy source on the earth. Solar energy can be converted into electric energy by using two different processes: by means of thermodynamic cycles and the photovoltaic conversion.

Latent thermal energy storage system (LTES) is an effective technique for storing solar energy and load management with advantages including isothermal operation and high-energy storage density. However, the low thermal conductivity of the phase change material (PCM) in a LTES reduces the...

Estimates of the amount of land used for a defined amount of utility-scale electricity generation in the solar power industry, referred to here as solar land use energy intensity (LUEI), are important to decision makers for evaluating the environmental impact of energy technology choices....

The use of central receiver system (CRS) for electricity production promises to be one of the most viable options to replace fossil fuel power plants. Indeed, research and development activities on its basic subsystems have been booming rapidly since 1980s. This paper reviews the most important...