Insights from the operation of Solar One and their implications for future central receiver plants

Abstract

The Solar One Pilot Plant successfully demonstrated the feasibility of generating electricity with a solar central receiver power plant. During the six years the plant was operated, a great deal of data was collected relating to the efficiency and availability of the plant's various systems. This paper summarizes these statistics and compares them to goals developed by the Department of Energy. Based on this comparison, and recent research, we identify key improvements in the design and operation for future central receiver power plants. These improvements are expected to solve many of the performance problems encountered at Solar One. Projections of the cost of energy for these future plants are also presented.