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Concentrating solar power: Improving electricity cost and security of supply, and other economic benefits
Development Southern Africa
Abstract
The South African solar resource is vast. By utilising this resource effectively, concentrating solar power (CSP) offers the ability to efficiently store thermal energy until needed for electricity generation. This technology can therefore assist the total electricity system to link demand and supply. Nevertheless, CSP is still entering the commercialisation phase and, as the learning rate sets in, the cost is expected to decrease significantly; thus providing a dispatchable renewable energy option that is competitive with conventional options. A major dilemma needs to be overcome. Until sufficient CSP capacity is installed each year, the localisation potential, and the overall economic benefit for the country, will not materialise. This in turn could stall the technology. This paper presents a techno-economic scenario to show that a CSP industry can be established now that exceeds the threshold for setting up economies of scale, reduces the cost of electricity, and increases energy security.
... A radiação solar durante o dia é suficiente para gerar a energia esperada e gerar um excedente disponível para armazenagem, o que torna possível gerar energia mesmo sem recurso solar acessível em determinados momentos, resultando em usinas heliotérmicas estáveis, confiáveis e flexíveis (Corgnale et al., 2016;Gauché;Brent;Von Backström, 2014;Xu et al., 2016). ...
... A radiação solar durante o dia é suficiente para gerar a energia esperada e gerar um excedente disponível para armazenagem, o que torna possível gerar energia mesmo sem recurso solar acessível em determinados momentos, resultando em usinas heliotérmicas estáveis, confiáveis e flexíveis (Corgnale et al., 2016;Gauché;Brent;Von Backström, 2014;Xu et al., 2016). ...
... A radiação solar durante o dia é suficiente para gerar a energia esperada e gerar um excedente disponível para armazenagem, o que torna possível gerar energia mesmo sem recurso solar acessível em determinados momentos, resultando em usinas heliotérmicas estáveis, confiáveis e flexíveis (Corgnale et al., 2016;Gauché;Brent;Von Backström, 2014;Xu et al., 2016). ...
As energias renováveis possuem uma produção de eletricidade de forma intermitente, ou seja, não possuem uma produção constante, devido às variações normais dos recursos naturais. A energia solar, especificamente, possui uma variação sazonal, devido à movimentação diária e anual da Terra em relação ao Sol. Dessa forma, esse tipo de energia precisa de mecanismos para evitar a instabilidade de sua geração. Sabe-se que a energia solar heliotérmica possui a possibilidade de acoplar um armazenamento térmico em seu sistema, pois este tipo de geração absorve o calor provindo da radiação solar, para depois converter em energia mecânica e por fim em energia elétrica. O armazenamento térmico possui custos menores em relação a outros métodos de armazenamento de energia utilizados, o que se torna uma vantagem para a energia heliotérmica. O artigo tem como objetivo identificar as opções tecnológicas para o armazenamento térmico de energia na literatura e as mais utilizados em usinas heliotérmicas do mundo. O método de pesquisa contemplou uma revisão sistemática da literatura e a análise da base de dados das usinas heliotérmicas do mundo. Como resultado é possível evidenciar a existência de uma relação entre o tipo de armazenamento térmico e o tipo de tecnologia de concentrador da usina.
... In reality, brightfields benefit from the abundance of solar energy resources and even though is the 'least mature large-scale technology' (Gauché et al., 2014) with great opportunities to mature. Surprisingly, demand for solar power technologies had a noticeable increase in 2020 (Fig. 7) (SolarPower Europe, 2020). ...
In the era of climate change and increasing vulnerabilities, the 'renewable' choice has become a commonly accepted strategy to promote resilient and sustainable solutions. The intensive activities of the industrialized era of the past century brought disused and derelict land amidst chances and ambiguous issues on their management. Although research on regeneration projects is active, integrated and theoretically grounded approaches are still under exploration. From this spectrum, this work handles the compelling transition on 'solar energy farms' (the so-called 'brightfields') through a qualitative and multiple case study analysis. This research fills a gap where there is otherwise very little on the subject of 'brightfields' as an alternative form of land use management, a persistent problem of urban settings providing an in-depth description of the phenomenon towards a strategy beyond current literature. Key issues of questioning the brownfields' transformation through a case analysis of the barriers and opportunities of the 'brightfield' strategy are provided. Further research is expected to result in supporting tools enabling progress in more sites around the world.
... It is worth noting that in the poorer LMCs in Southeast Asia, such as Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Myanmar, although households in these countries have the most severe clean cooking access problems, the estimated health benefits they can obtain from upgrading to ICS-SHS are smaller and much closer to the estimated minimum cost of the upgrade. Given the benefits that upgrading to clean cooking may bring, in practice, however, renewable power generation is historically characterised by high initial capital [58]. Although the upgrade to ICS-SHS is most needed in these countries, given the estimated relatively minor gap between the health benefits and cost, it may prove difficult to persuade these households with limited payment ability to invest in ICS-SHS. ...
Limited access to clean energy has long been an obstacle to livelihood improvement of populations mired in energy poverty. Cooking with traditional biomass contributes to high levels of indoor air pollution, thus imposing significant threats to public health. Due to the accessibility and affordability of clean fuels for rural residents, this study proposes that renewable solar energy be employed to supply power for induction cooking stoves (ICS) through solar home systems (SHS), and estimates both the costs and health benefits of upgrading to ICS and SHS in lower-middle-income countries (LMCs) in Southeast Asia. Disability-Adjusted Life Years and the value of a statistical life year were employed to estimate the health benefits of ICS-SHS. The results suggest that the health benefits brought by ICS-SHS alone can surpass the estimated minimum cost for an ICS-SHS in the six LMCs in Southeast Asia. This study provides a potential reference for getting other energy poverty regions involved with affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy, as well as simultaneously tackling indoor air pollution caused by cooking.
... The data presented for concentrating solar power (CSP) are based on the technology of parabolic trough with synthetic oil and power tower with molten salt, as both technologies are commercially proven and available (Gauché, Brent & Von Backström, 2014). The initial investment is strongly positively correlated with the capacity factor. ...
Complete issue of the Journal of Energy in Southern Africa (JESA) Vol. 27 Issue 2.
... When CSP becomes a suitable alternative for meeting intermediate load, additional locations away from grid lines could be considered. Gauché et al. (2014) suggest an addition of 3 GW of CSP to South Africa's energy system and that the technology's significant benefits appear to vastly outweigh the risks'. ...
An investigation was carried out to illustrate the prospects and challenges associated with implementation of concentrating solar power (CSP) with storage technology in South Africa. Various factors were examined that have an effect on the cost of CSP plants and offer an overall review of the opportunities CSP has for the country. This paper appeals the general idea that CSP is not cost effective enough and attempts to illustrate the feasibility of this technology in South Africa.
... The data presented for concentrating solar power (CSP) are based on the technology of parabolic trough with synthetic oil and power tower with molten salt, as both technologies are commercially proven and available (Gauché, Brent & Von Backström, 2014). The initial investment is strongly positively correlated with the capacity factor. ...
The economic situation of mining corporations operating in South Africa has in recent years created considerable challenges in staying globally competitive. One reason for this is the increase in average electricity costs from 7% to 20% of total operational expenses since 2007. Forecasts for the next decade predict that this development will continue at similar rates. The reliability of Eskom has also decreased, with self-generation being increasingly considered. In addition, the South African government plans to launch a carbon tax in 2016, which will further add to the costs of current electricity sources. This paper investigates the potential of renewable electricity sources for mining operations in South Africa. It is based on an extensive literature analysis, which was conducted in the form of a conceptual review. The investigation of electricity usage patterns reveals that mining operations commonly have a relatively constant day and night consumption. One of the prerequisites for a suitable source is its ability to supply electricity constantly. Most renewable sources can therefore only be used in hybrid versions, owing to relatively high intermittencies, especially with electricity supply from solar photovoltaic and wind generation. Nevertheless, the levelised costs are substantially lower than diesel generators and are already similar to Eskom tariffs, whilst also lowering carbon emissions. The business case of self-generation is shown to be positive. An on-site project can be realised through a power purchase agreement or through own investments.
Supercritical CO2 power blocks for Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) with novel metal matrix solar receivers have the potential to reduce operating expenses while improving overall system efficiencies. These concentrated solar receivers integrated with a metal matrix-based phase change (PCM) thermal storage medium provide the compounding effect of an efficient heat exchanger while also integrating thermal storage within the receiver. Detailed numerical modeling of such devices with enthalpy-porosity-based formulation for phase change and turbulent convective heat transfer for the sCO2 microchannels is described in the current work. With sCO2 power blocks operating at temperatures and pressures beyond 800°C and 200 bar, different high-temperature PCMs are studied. A detailed steady charging followed by discharge and charging transients is simulated to analyze the thermal performance of these devices. In the current work, the energy storage density of PCMs is studied, followed by an analysis of the movement of the melt-pool interface over the streamwise length of a high corrugation wavy microchannel. A scaling analysis is carried out to estimate the heat transfer coefficients while compare them with the numerical model predictions. The results from the current work can be utilized for sizing and detailed design of integrated solar receivers for high-temperature sCO2 power block applications.
As the adoption of solar hybrid systems continues to rise due to their potential to compensate for the fluctuation of solar irradiation, it becomes imperative to accurately evaluate their performance, considering the variation of off-design conditions. This paper introduces a detailed analysis method for evaluating the annual performance of a solar-MGT system under transient boundary conditions for a whole-year operation range. A hybrid system of a micro gas turbine, recuperator, and solar dish is considered, and an off-design simulation model is developed and verified with available experimental results. Two different configurations for a recuperated cycle are considered, and simulations are conducted for a test case in Pretoria, SA. The results for Jun.21 and Dec.21 as low and high solar energy days are reported with more details to compare the configurations and demonstrate the effect of ambient temperature on the heat loss of the solar receiver and the overall performance of the system. The alternative configuration reduces heat loss with a lower temperature receiver but has higher fuel consumption compared to the conventional configuration. Operating strategies for different hours of operation from 1 h to 24 h per day are simulated for 365 days, based on real meteorological data, and compared with the operating in solar available hours. It is shown that the whole-year simulation of the system considering the variation of boundary conditions can change the estimation of fuel consumption by 25 %.
Globally, the importance of sustainable development is recognized due to a number of interconnected social, environmental, and economic challenges. One of the key tenets of sustainable development is the introduction of clean energy, and specifically renewable energy technologies (RETs). To accelerate the adoption of RETs, however, requires the rate of commercialization of such technologies to increase; classified as multitechnology renewable energy systems (MTRESs) due to the hierarchical nature of such systems, with differing commercialization-based needs. A strategic management framework was subsequently developed as a means to support the establishment of strategies for increasing the commercialization rate of MTRESs, and applied to the case of concentrating solar power in South Africa. The framework serves as a proof-of-concept, given the current industry constraints due to political uncertainties in the energy sector of the country, as well as the type of validation process followed, with the framework yet to be practically implemented. This article encourages dialogue on how different stakeholders may be mobilized in the interests of a given technology, while continuing a recent trend in literature, which seeks to move the conversation from energy analysis to practical measures, aimed at hastening efforts towards a sustainable energy transition.
This current paper gives a short overview on the results of the study we have conducted to illustrate the operability and reliability properties of CSP plants based on the experience acquired during the first operation year of the CSP generation unit with thermal energy storage (TES) Andasol 3. Andasol 3 was commissioned in autumn 2011 under the leadership of the company "Marquesado Solar S.L." and is the third of Solar Millennium developed parabolic trough power plants. The plant is located near Guadix in Andalusia, Spain and has an installed capacity of 49.9 MWe and a thermal storage tank with a capacity of 7.5 hours at full load. The power station was designed to reach a net annual energy production of 165 GWh at typical meteorological year conditions. Andasol 3 as well as other solar power plants with TES, are not only providers of environmentally friendly solar electricity, but also power sources with operational capabilities that have the potential to support the continued reliability of the electric power system. Furthermore, the flexibility given by TES allows this type of plants to shift electricity generation meeting capacity needs and peak demand resulting in a rise of utility value due to increased revenues. In order to demonstrate the properties mentioned above and to present the experience gained during the first operational year, Andasol 3 conducted a study based on actual economic and technical data collected during the period past. Our first priority was to explore several operating modes aiming to maximize the economic benefits of the plant and to gain an experience-based foundation that contributes to further developments. For this purpose several operational tests were conducted and anomalies owing to external and internal influence conditions were analyzed and evaluated. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Concentrating solar power (CSP) offers the potential for a high degree of localization and an alternative strategy to meet electricity demand for South Africa in a future of uncertain conventional resources. The integrated resource plan (IRP) makes strides to introduce renewables to the electricity generation system by 2030, but we argue that the proposed energy mix is too reliant on resources that are not only unsustainable but also at risk in the short to medium term. Coal and other conventional resources may be more limited than originally anticipated, which if true, requires action to be taken soon. CSP is currently the only sustainable and dispatchable energy technology that could domestically supply a significant portion of South Africa's electricity needs. A balanced mix of PV, wind and CSP can provide the energy supply needed in South Africa, but steps are required soon to take advantage of the localization potential and excellent sustainable energy resources.
Concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies continue to mature and are being deployed worldwide. Power towers will likely play an essential role in the future development of CSP due to their potential to provide dispatchable solar electricity at a low cost. This Power Tower Technology Roadmap has been developed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to describe the current technology, the improvement opportunities that exist for the technology, and the specific activities needed to reach the DOE programmatic target of providing competitively-priced electricity in the intermediate and baseload power markets by 2020. As a first step in developing this roadmap, a Power Tower Roadmap Workshop that included the tower industry, national laboratories, and DOE was held in March 2010. A number of technology improvement opportunities (TIOs) were identified at this workshop and separated into four categories associated with power tower subsystems: solar collector field, solar receiver, thermal energy storage, and power block / balance of plant. In this roadmap, the TIOs associated with power tower technologies are identified along with their respective impacts on the cost of delivered electricity. In addition, development timelines and estimated budgets to achieve cost reduction goals are presented. The roadmap does not present a single path for achieving these goals, but rather provides a process for evaluating a set of options from which DOE and industry can select to accelerate power tower R&D, cost reductions, and commercial deployment.
An estimate for world coal production in the long run would be helpful for developing policies for alternative energy sources and for climate change. This production has often been estimated from reserves that are calculated from measurements of coal seams. We show that where the estimates based on reserves can be tested in mature coal regions, they have been too high, and that more accurate estimates can be made by curve fits to the production history. These curve fits indicate that total world production, including past and future production, will be 680 Gt. The historical range for these fits made on an annual basis from 1995 to 2009 is 653 Gt to 749 Gt, 14% in percentage terms. The curve fits also indicate that 90% of the total production will have taken place by 2070. This gives the time scale for considering alternatives. This estimate for total production is somewhat less than the current reserves plus cumulative production, 1163 Gt, and very much less than the amount of coal that the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, assumes is available for its scenarios. The maximum cumulative coal production through 2100 in an IPCC scenario is 3500 Gt.
This paper examines the energy consumption, supply and resources of some of the countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in 2005, the base year for this analysis. The region is rich in energy resources and currently enjoys relatively stable and affordable electricity. Except in the case of Botswana, Mauritius, Namibia and South Africa, final energy demand is dominated by the residential sector in the form of biomass. Energy consumption or final energy demand in Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe is projected to 2030 using a Long Range Energy Alternatives Planning (LEAP) model in a 'business as usual' scenario, the other countries being left out because of poor quality data. The projections are carried out by relating historic sectoral GDP and population growth in each country to energy demand and then using the historical link and the projections of these drivers to project energy demand. The analysis under this 'business as usual' scenario seems to indicate that we can expect to see a large increase in consumption in these countries, especially in the form of biomass and electricity. In both cases, supply is a concern. Having established what the present resources are; what some of the supply elements are currently in place; what the base-year demand is; and some basic relationships between demand and socio-economic drivers, this paper sets the stage for further studies that include the future energy supply; regional trade; and scenario analysis using indicators of sustainable development for the region. However, further analysis of the regional energy system, is only valuable if it is supported by good data. A reliable energy balance is needed for the countries not modelled here, and in the case of the modelled countries, better data is also needed, especially in the use biomass.
The paper provides an overview of the attractiveness of the global concentrating solar power (CSP) industry, analyses South Africa's current capabilities in developing a CSP manufacturing capacity, and then makes recommendations regarding policy measures and an associated industry roadmap for developing a competitive CSP industry in South Africa. The analyses highlight that cost reduction is currently the most important stumbling block for the large-scale rollout of CSP. From a supply, or technology-push, perspective, changes such as cost-effective production methods, improved products through directed research and development, and reductions in operating and installation costs could be implemented. From a demand, or technology-pull, perspective, more ambitious targets need to be incorporated into the current South African policies with reliable support schemes to ensure long-term investment security for CSP systems. Recommendations are made accordingly. Specifically, South Africa should continue to promote strategic collaborations with potential CSP investors to access funding possibilities for projects.
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