Concentrated Solar Power projects that produce utility-scale solar power in California could add 5-6 kilowatt hours to the kWh. This is according to a report from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, part of the US Energy Department. According to the US government, at least 33% must be included in California’s future energy mix within six years. According to a new NREL report entitled “Estimating The Value of Utility Scale Solar Technologies In California Under a Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS), CSP can help maintain firm capacity even after the sun sets because it has the ability to store energy for many hours. This compares to variable-generation technologies and results in a five-cent increase in the value per kilowatthour under the 2020 mandate’s 33% Renewable Standard, or six cents for a kilowatthour if renewables were included. California plans to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions further to 2020, by the year 2050.. Governor Jerry brown believes that a higher 40% RSS might be possible to reach this goal in the short term. Clean Power Plan – Guidelines to Reduce Carbon Emissions from Existing Power Plants – was launched by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA believes that Americans will have a healthier environment and more reliable power if existing power plants follow the guidelines. The NREL claims that concentrated solar power could lower costs during peak demand. CPS may help to reduce your electricity bills. Mark Mehos (NREL CSP Manager), and Jennie Jorgenson, and Paul Denholm, co-authors of the study said that CSP has a significant added value compared with less flexible sources. CSP’s relative value increases as renewable energy penetration rises. “CSP could allow for greater penetration of solar PV. It would make the grid more flexible, and reduce curtailment by producing electricity after sunset. This is something we intend to continue to study for the rest of the year. CSP technology concentrates the sunlight to capture heat. The heat then drives a turbine to generate electricity. CSP can hold back energy. However, CSP can generate thermal energy which can be stored for hours using storage devices such as molten sodiums. This stored energy is then available for use in lighting, TV, or air conditioning, as long as the demand remains strong after sunset. The SunShot Initiative provided funding for this new report. It was funded by the Energy Department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. This report compares the operating costs of systems with and without an additional amount of Concentrated Solar Power. The capacity value of the system is also evaluated. The second report in the series analyzes CSP’s thermal energy storage value. Previous report was entitled “Estimating Performance and Economic Valuation of Multiple Concentrating Solar Power Technologies In a Production Cost Model.” The term Concentrated Solar Power (also known as Concentrated Solar Thermal Power) refers to a system which uses mirrors or lenses to focus large amounts of sunlight onto small areas. Concentrated light can be converted into electricity by heating it. This heat is then used to drive a steam turbine, or another type of heat engine. It may also fuel a thermochemical reaction. The $2.2 billion Ivanpah Solar Thermal Power Plant was inaugurated in California’s Mojave Desert in February 2014,. It is the most expensive of its type in the world. It covers 3,500 acres and has more than 300,000 mirrors. CSP is mainly produced in the United States and Spain. Video: Concentrated Solar Power (US Energy Dept.
