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 Concentrated Solar Power CSP easily out competes nuclear, providing some of the safest energy applications we have today – a technology that’s more quickly deployed, comparatively very cost effective, creating jobs, while promoting a healthier future.

CSP – The Solar Alternative That Rivals Nuclear, June 7, 2011 by Anja Atkinson, The Energy Collective “….Creative applications in Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) specifically are providing energy solutions that accomplish what nuclear does – transfer heat, using the sun as fuel. 

Aside from our many nuclear questions, Fukushima provides an opportunity to focus on how we create energy and the value solar and renewable technologies bring to the world as we look ahead. CSP stands apart from the crowd because it creates the world’s cheapest per watt electricity, leveraging the sun’s thermal radiation as part of a process in electricity generation, as opposed to harnessing light which is used in standard photovoltaics and thin film solar, used widely in utility scale solar parks.

A CSP system includes two primary parts. First it uses parabolic mirrors that track the sun’s path through the sky, capturing and focusing concentrated solar radiation onto pipes carrying a liquid, or onto an energy efficient surface. Secondly the absorbed thermal heat is transferred through a pipe system, and the heat in turn is used to drive a steam turbine, that connects to a generator which creates electricity. No, it’s not your imagination, the CSP system operates very much the same as a nuclear plant, creating the same results, only without the safety headaches, while doing so in more cost effective ways.

In 2011 installed CSP technologies contributed 679 MW’s of electricity worldwide, while 2000 MW’s are currently under construction. Spain and the U.S lead in this field, although Spain has 89% of current construction efforts. Parabolic trough systems like Nevada Solar One, described below, dominate the market at present accounting for 88% of installed capacity. For a closer look at how CSP is being used, we can reference a few examples at work around the world.

CSP Parabolic Trough System

CSP and Multi-Junction PV Cells

ACCIONA’s Nevada Solar One CSP Plant, based in the US has been in operation since 2007. ……..

Zenith Solar, based in Israel, is combining the basic concept of CSP with PV cells and claim to have the most cost effective, energy and space efficient solar energy system on the market. ……

CSP easily out competes nuclear, providing some of the safest energy applications we have today – a technology that’s more quickly deployed, comparatively very cost effective, creating jobs, while promoting a healthier future.