Abstract
A systematic approach to evaluate Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) plant fleet deployment and sustainable water resource use in arid regions is presented. An overview is given of previous work carried out. Once CSP development scenarios, suitable areas for development, and the water demand from CSP operations were evaluated, appropriate spatiotemporal CSP performance models were developed. The resulting consumptive patterns and the impact of variable resource availability on CSP plant operation are analysed. This evaluation considered the whole of South Africa, with focus on the areas identified as suitable for CSP, in order to study the impact on local water resources. It was found that the hydrological limitations imposed by variable water resources on CSP development are severe. The national annual theoretical net generation potential of wet-cooled Parabolic Trough decreased from 11,277 to 120 TWh, and that of wet-cooled Central Receiver decreased from 12,003 to 170 TWh. Dry cooled versions also experience severe limitations, but to a lesser extent—the national annual theoretical net generation potential of Parabolic Trough decreased from 11,038 to 512 TWh, and that of Central Receiver decreased from 11,824 to 566 TWh. Accordingly, policy guidelines are suggested for sustainable CSP development and water resource management within the context of current South African water use regulation.
Highlights
Water Availability and Concentrating Solar Power (CSP)The water–energy–food (WEF) nexus is a term used to describe the complex interactions and interdependencies between water as a naturally fluctuating resource, energy as our means to perform work, and food as a source of sustenance
Based on the methodology presented in this paper, a sequence of hydrological constraints on CSP development can be calculated for each hydrological planning area
This sequence of hydrological constraints takes the form of four scenarios: no hydrological constraints, constraints based on isolated quaternary catchments (QCs) balances, constraints based on linked catchment balances with an overall relative reduction in CSP capacity from the isolated QC approach to prevent downstream catchments from being depleted, and constraints based on linked catchment balances according on an optimised relative reduction in CSP capacity according to a priority index
Summary
Water Availability and CSPThe water–energy–food (WEF) nexus is a term used to describe the complex interactions and interdependencies between water as a naturally fluctuating resource, energy as our means to perform work, and food as a source of sustenance. CSP is a Renewable Energy Technology (RET) uniquely suited to aid the collection of commercial Variable Renewable Energy (VRE) options in addressing global concerns about the impact of a fossil fuel-reliant energy sector on climate change This is because CSP is ideally positioned with the capacity to incorporate Thermal Energy Storage (TES) to counter problems associated with the unpredictable nature of VREs [8,9]. The dilemma faced by CSP is that it is highly dependent on solar insolation, in particular Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI), which typically coincides with semito hyper-arid regions [10] This results in a specific instance of the water–energy nexus; where the deployment of a RET needs to be managed strategically to ensure the sustainability of the water resources on which it and local communities and ecosystems depends
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