concentrating solar power, CSP, renewable, energy, sunlight
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The real powerhouse in concentrating solar power (CSP) plants is focused sunlight. CSP plants generate electric power by using mirrors to concentrate (focus) the sun's energy and convert it into high-temperature heat. That heat is then channeled through a conventional generator. The plants consist of two parts: one that collects solar energy and converts it to heat, and another that converts the heat energy to electricity. Within the United States, over 350MW of CSP capacity exists and these plants have been operating reliably for more than 15 years.
CSP systems can be small enough (Stirling systems as small as 10 kilowatts are under development) to help meet a small village's power needs. (For comparison, a typical U.S. home might require a system generating about 5 to 15 kilowatts to meet most of its power needs, according to some renewable energy experts.) CSP systems can also be much larger, generating up to 100 megawatts of power for use in utility-grid-connected applications. Some CSP systems include thermal storage to provide power at night or when it's cloudy. Others are combined with natural gas systems in hybrid power plants that provide power on demand.
The amount of power generated by a concentrating solar power plant depends on the amount of direct sunlight at the site. CSP technologies make use of only direct-beam (rather than diffuse) sunlight.
Today's CSP systems can convert solar energy to electricity more efficiently than ever before. Utility-scale trough plants are the lowest cost solar energy available today and further cost reductions are anticipated to make CSP competitive with conventional power plants within a decade. So, CSP is a very good renewable energy technology to use in the southwestern United States as well as in other sunny regions around the world.
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