Technology Roadmap: Concentrating Solar Power

The emerging technology known as concentrating solar power, or CSP, holds much promise for countries with plenty of sunshine and clear skies. For CSP to claim its share of the coming energy revolution, concerted action is required over the next ten years by scientists, industry, governments, financing institutions and the public. This roadmap is intended to help chart the course to broad development and deployment of CSP.



Table of Contents
Foreword
Table of contents
Acknowledgements
Key findings
Key actions by government in the next ten years
Introduction
Rationale for CSP
The purpose of the roadmap
Roadmap process, content and structure
CSP status today
The importance of the solar resource
Current technologies for power production
Enhancing the value of CSP capacities
Grid integration of CSP plants
Plant cooling and water requirements
CSP for niche markets
Vision of future deployment
Existing scenarios and proposals
CSP deployment
The vital role of transmission
Deployment till 2020: intermediate and peak loads
Deployment till 2030: base loads and CO2 reductions
Deployment beyond 2030: power and fuels
Economic perspectives
Operation and maintenance costs
Costs of providing finance for CSP plants
Generating costs
Towards competitiveness
Milestones for technology improvements
Troughs and LFR
Towers and dishes
Improvements in storage technologies
Emerging solar fuel technologies
Policy framework: roadmap actions and milestones
Overcoming economic barriers
Financing innovation
Incentives for deployment
Addressing non-economic barriers
Research, development and demonstration support
Collaboration in R&D and deployment
Deployment in developing economies
Conclusion and role of stakeholders
Units, acronyms, abbreviations and references