Page 6 - REM Annual Review 2021
P. 6

REM                                             FEBRUARY                                                REM




       The future for CSP






       Rapidly falling costs of CSP with storage mean the technology is becoming a
       more attractive option for green baseload power, writes Richard Lockhart




        GLOBAL           CONCENTRATED solar power (CSP) has the   Stored heat can then be converted into elec-
                         ability to combine the falling costs of solar gen-  tricity by a steam turbine and dispatched as
       WHAT:             eration and with its energy storage capabilities,  required.
       6,000 MW of CSP capacity   to provide electricity to national grids 24 hours   It is especially suited for countries with high
       is currently installed   a day.                        levels of solar radiation, typically in arid and
       worldwide           This combination of ever-cheaper technol-  semi-arid areas with reliably clear skies and low
                         ogy and storage capacity means that utility-scale  aerosol optical depths, typically at subtropical
       WHY:              projects can offer almost uninterrupted grid sup-  latitudes of 15° to 40° north or south. Such areas
       CSP offers round-the-  plies and offer better return on investment than  include Australia, Chile and Peru, the Middle
       clock solar energy   solar PV alone.                   East and North Africa, India, western China,
       by harnessing solar   With 6,000 MW of CSP capacity currently  South Africa and the south-west US and north-
       technology        installed worldwide, power purchase agree-  ern Mexico.
                         ment (PPA) prices are falling, reaching $0.073   The report noted that while solar PV prices
       WHAT NEXT:        per kWh for Dubai’s DEWA 950-MW CSP-PV  have been falling recently, reaching $0.02-0.03
       Serious investment is   hybrid project.                kWh in the Middle East, CSP prices for PPAs
       needed by current market   The combination of generation and storage  have decreased from from 0.30 per kWh in the
       players, while new   has the potential to reduce grid curtailment,  US and Spain between 2007 and 2012 to $0.16
       countries must invest   allowing networks to operate more efficiently  per kWh at Morocco’s Noor Ouarzazate III pro-
       in CSP plus storage   and to supply renewables baseload power, a  ject in 2016 and Dubai’s $0.073 per kWh in 2020.
       if the technology is to   recent report from the International Renewa-  The report said that given the decline in the
       contribute to a greener   bles Energy Agency (IRENA) and the World  cost of both solar PV and CSP and storage since
       global economy.   Bank found.                          2007, PPA prices will keep on declining in the
                                                              coming years if deployments continue to scale.
                         Technology                             Further deployments will incorporate tech-
                         When combined with thermal energy storage,  nological improvements, improve economies
                         CSP is capable of storing energy in the form of  of scale and unlock efficiencies in both the con-
                         heat, at utility scale, for days with minimal losses.  struction and operation of CSP plants.
                           CSP uses mirrors to focus direct solar radi-  However, for CSP costs are a problem. IRENA
                         ation onto a fluid-filled receiver, known as the  and World Bank report says that auction/PPE
                         heat transfer fluid (HTF), and typically thermal  prices in 2021 were $0.039 per kWh for solar PV,
                         oil or molten salts, which stores the solar energy  $0.075 for CSP and storage, $0.043 for onshore
                         in the form of heat in tanks for hours or even  wind and $0.08 for offshore wind.
                         days.































       P6                                       www. NEWSBASE .com                                Annual Review 2021
   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11