Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants in the desert

A huge potential from a proven technology

In the current photovoltaic industry boom, another solar power technology has somehow been overshadowed: Concentrated Solar Power (CSP). CSP uses mirrors to concentrate the sun rays on a pipe or vessel. These contain a gas or liquid that is heated to around 400° C and is then used to power conventional steam turbines. The technology is proven — a CSP plant in the California desert has been functioning very effectively for fifteen years. One major advantage of CSP is that the medium heated during the day can be stored in vessels to keep the turbines running at night.

One of the principal advocates for CSP is the Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy Cooperation (TREC), an initiative in conjunction with the Club of Rome. TREC suggests building large CSP power plants in the North-African and Middle East deserts and transporting the electrical energy to Europe via a High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) grid.
They have calculated that it would be feasible to build a total of fifty square kilometres of facilities in the desert capable of generating 100 GW (about 10% of the total EU-25 generation capacity). The project would include a HVDC transmission grid to transport the energy to Europe. It could be built up gradually, to be completed by 2050. The financial investments would be large (around 400 billion Euros) but not impossible, and the output competitive with fossil fuel and nuclear energy. The idea has not yet enthused European politicians however. Most probably geopolitical arguments are seen as a major barrier.

Greenpeace executed another study concluding that CSP has the potential to generate 37 GW worldwide by 2025, and 600 GW or 5% of the worldwide electricity demand by 2040.