Solar thermal power plants are technologically wellunderstood and have the potential for large-scale
electricity generation
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15
2045
400
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500
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25
2025
600
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30
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700
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2000
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1985
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CSP Cost Spain
CSP Cost Egypt
Worldwide Installed CSP Capacity
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manufacturing techniques
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hours due to the installation of thermal
storage
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Solar Thermal Power Plants
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1 km! of desert land yields up to 200 - 300 GWhe/year
Demand
1 km! of desert land equals 50 MW coal or gas plant
1 km! of desert land saves 500,000 bbl of oil / year
1 km! of desert land avoids 200,000 tons CO2 / year
1 km! of desert land can produce 165,000 m" freshwater/day by desalination
light emissions as indicator for electricity demand
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solar (PV)
wind
hydro
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geothermal
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Power Demand and
Supply [TWh/y]
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Old Plants MENA
New Plants MENA
CSP Export
CSP Desalination
Solar ThermalMENA
Power Plants
Total Demand
Total Demand EU
CSP MENA
Hans Müller-Steinhagen
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Solar thermal power plant technologies are important candidates for providing a significant
share of the clean and renewable energy needed in the future.
Solar thermal power plants are already today of well-proven and demonstrated technology;
since 1985 nine parabolic trough-type solar thermal power plants in California have fed
more than 10 billion kWh of solar-based electricity into the Southern Californian grid.
At present, solar thermal power plants with a total capacity of about 1000 MW are being
built world-wide, with a further 10 GW being in the project development stage.
In combination with thermal energy storage, solar thermal power plants can provide
dispatchable electricity.
Solar thermal power plants are already among the most cost-effective renewable power
technologies.
With further technological improvements and mass production of components, they will
become competitive with fossil-fuel plants within the next decade.
Solar thermal power plants can combine electricity generation and seawater desalination.
With the installation of a EU-MENA HVDC grid it will be possible to provide a share of the
Northern European electricity demand.
Solar Thermal Power Plants
Hans Müller-Steinhagen
Thank you for your attention
Solar Thermal Power Plants
Hans Müller-Steinhagen