Solar-thermal electric technology

Abstract

Significant progress has been made in developing economically competitive solar-thermal electric technologies. During the early 1980s, several important pilot plants were constructed and successfully operated, thus establishing the technology`s feasibility. Today more than 350 mega-watts of electricity are generated by commercial solar-thermal plants in the US, and the experience gained from those plants, in addition to research and development activities, has helped reduce the cost of solar-thermal systems to one-fifth that of the early pilot plants. Continued technological improvements are likely to reduce costs further, while enhancing performance levels. These advances, along with cost reductions made possible by large-scale production, construction of a succession of power plants, and scale-up to plant sizes of 100 to 200 megawatts of electricity, promise to make solar-thermal systems cost-competitive with fossil-fuel plants. Solar-thermal technologies are appropriate for a wide range of applications, including central-station power plants, where they can meet peak utility and intermediate load needs, and modular power plants in both remote and grid-distributed areas. 101 refs., 34 figs., 13 tabs.