Abstract
The prediction of the techno-economic performances of future concentrated solar power (CSP) solar tower (ST) with thermal energy storage (TES) plants is challenging. Nevertheless, this information is fundamental to energy policymakers. This work aims to fill the knowledge gap regarding estimations of costs, amount, and quality of electricity produced by these plants over their lifetime. Every estimate should be based on real-world data of actual costs incurred to build and maintain constructed plants, and their actual electricity production, sampled with high frequency, to be reliable. Here we discuss as the available information is insufficient. There has been so far very limited transparency on the real cost and performance of CSP plants built and operated worldwide, and in the very few cases where data has been made public, for example, Crescent Dunes in the United States, costs have been much higher than expected, while annual average capacity factors have been much less. Important statistical parameters such as the standard deviation of the capacity factor with high-frequency sampling have never been provided. We conclude as the techno-economic performances of these plants are therefore unpredictable with accuracy until a significant number of plants will be built and operated, their costs and operating parameters will be shared, and their delivered techno-economic performances will be compared to the modeled values, finally permitting validation of the techno-economic analysis tools.
Highlights
The first concentrated solar power (CSP) plant supposed to be built in Australia was the Aurora power plant, featuring about the same of the technology of Crescent Dunes in the United States, CSP solar tower (ST) with molten-salt thermal energy storage (TES)
The attempt to compete price-wise with wind and solar PV is what has produced substandard developments that have undermined the reputation of CSP technology
Opposite to wind and solar PV power plants that may deliver power to the grid only phased with the contemporary, instantaneous, availability of the wind and solar resource, and necessitates of huge energy storage, which is economically very expensive, CSP plants have the advantage of dispatchability, i.e., production of electricity on demand, thanks to the much cheaper internal thermal energy storage
Summary
Concentrated solar energy in Australia has been the subject of few works (Baig et al, 2015; Clifton and Boruff, 2010; Dawson and Schlyter, 2012; Peterseim et al, 2014; Ghadi et al, 2019; Middelhoff et al, 2022; Narimani et al, 2016), with practically no plant built and operated so far. No facility has been built yet or is being built, featuring concentrated solar power (CSP). This anomaly needs an explanation, that is not available in the current literature. Uncovered in the current literature are the potentials of the CSP technology in Australia, despite the debacles suffered so far
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
