Is Concentrated Solar Power a Trillion Dollar Opportunity?

Solar thermal can produce clean heat to run processes that cause a third of global carbon emissions. In this article, I argue that a $1 Trillion pot of gold may await the right solutions. Due to costs and other barriers, solar thermal’s present footprint on the global energy production map is negligible. Industry experts agree …

Concentrated solar power plants to produce electricity at night thanks to storage technology

Thermal energy storage (TES) systems can boost the conversion of solar thermal into electricity. They allow the efficient storage of heat during the day so that electricity production continues at night. Currently, the expansion of small and midsized concentrated solar power plants is limited because of the shortage of tailor-made TES systems. TES plays a …

Energy potential of concentrated solar power for Europe

In the light of the EU 2030 climate & energy framework, MUSTEC (Market uptake of solar thermal electricity through cooperation) aims to explore and propose concrete solutions to overcome the barriers that hinder the deployment of concentrated solar power (CSP) cooperation projects. CSP has a high potential in supplying renewable electricity on demand not only …

Concentrated Solar Power reaches 796 GWh generated in July in Spain, 10% more than last year

Solar thermal energy has reached 796 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity generation in July, which represents 10% more than in the same month last year, according to data from Red Eléctrica (REE) collected by the Spanish Association for Promotion of the Thermosolar Industry (Protermosolar). In addition, this Concentrated Solar Power generation has accounted for 3.57% …

Kalulushi concentrated solar power plant in Zambia gears up for construction

Zambia is set construct Kalulushi concentrated solar plant in the Copperbelt Province as dough continues to bite in the country rendering hydro projects untenable. A Zambian subsidiary of the Chinese firm Sinohydro was chosen to carry out the civil engineering work for the construction of the project. The Kalulushi concentrating solar power plant will be …

Could Congress Commission a Government Agency Like WAPA to Build Concentrated Solar Power?

The USA seems like the most unlikely nation to nationalize a clean energy resource for the public good. So when one of the Democratic candidates announced a plan to do that, it was easy to dismiss the concept as pie in the sky. But in fact, a US government agency was once given a mission …

EnergyNest has produced a new type of modular thermal battery able to store waste heat for hours, days or even weeks

When you think about humanity’s impact on the climate, images of airplane and car exhaust fumes may spring to mind. Yet aviation and cars only account for 2% and 6% of global carbon emissions, respectively. Another sector — which hardly anyone ever talks about — has higher emissions than both of these put together, accounting …

Harnessing the sun to purify concentrated waste streams

Reverse osmosis is one of the most common methods for purifying saline water, but the process produces limited results. About 20% to 50% of the water that enters the system remains as a concentrated waste stream. There are several existing methods for handling concentrate streams, including injecting the waste into isolated underground wells and using …