New research has found that concentrated solar power (CSP) technology has the potential to supply up to 80 percent of current energy requirements, if these systems were scaled up and interconnected throughout the world’s sunniest regions.
In a first-of-its-kind study published in the journal Nature Climate Change, researchers from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) examined how CSP could supply a large fraction of the power supply in a decarbonised energy system. The researchers focused specifically on overcoming intermittency problems associated with solar energy.
A major barrier blocking the uptake of large-scale solar to reduce reliance on coal or gas is that supply cannot be guaranteed when the sun isn’t shining. While big photovoltaic energy (PV) plants are increasingly coming online, storing power is expensive because it relies on heavy battery systems, which are still relatively ineffective at grid supply level.
Concentrating solar power facilities use large mirrors to heat liquid which can then be stored as thermal energy for longer periods, which set the IIASA team wondering, "why not connect a series of massive CSP plants that could maintain a constant energy supply, even if the sun isn’t shining at one specific site?”
The team used computer modelling to simulate the construction and operation of CSP systems in four sun-drenched regions around the world, the Mediterranean, South Africa, India and the USA.
"Our study is the first to look closely at whether it’s possible to build a power system based primarily on solar energy, and still provide reliable electricity to consumers around the clock, every day of the year. We find this to be possible in two world regions, the Mediterranean basin and the Kalahari Desert of Southern Africa," said study co-author Anthony Patt.
"In the Mediterranean region, for example, the study shows that a connected CSP system could provide 70-80% of current electricity demand, at no extra cost compared to gas-fired power plants. That percentage is similar to what a standard energy production plant, such as a nuclear plant, can provide," the study states.
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