I’m delighted to note that the 392MW Ivanpah Solar Electricity Generating System begins commercial operation today. Solar thermal, aka concentrated solar power or CSP, has terrific potential to dominate the world of renewable energy if we can drive the costs …
Tag: CSP
From Guest Blogger Brian McGowan: Google Invests in Solar Energy Again
Love or hate the way they do their internet business, Google is definitely into their renewable energy. Over the years I have read some interesting articles about their investment in and installation of energy efficiency or renewable energy technology, and …
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Concentrated Solar Power Boasts Constantly Improving Levelized Cost of Energy
Not to say “I told you so,” but for several years I’ve been predicting a steep decline in the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) coming from concentrated solar power (CSP). Now, that prediction is quite definitely coming true. According to …
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Tons of Concentrated Solar Power Headed for Northern Africa
I’ve often written that we’ll see the day when concentrated solar power (CSP, aka solar thermal) sited in Northern Africa will supply an enormous amount of energy – both for the region itself and for Europe to the north. Linked …
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Could Concentrating Solar Energy Save Humanity?
You have to admire the bravado of an author who would give such a title to an article: Could Concentrating Solar Energy Save Humanity? Normally, a religious extremist is required to pose a question like that. Kidding aside, it’s clear …
2GreenEnergy Headed Back to the East Coast
Next week I’m headed to the East Coast for a series of meetings, heading north from Washington DC to Philadelphia to Newark (NJ), and finally New York. Where I would love to do all this intercity travel by train, I’ll …
Solar Thermal Towers: One Is Good, Several Is Better
As a set of technologies, solar thermal, aka concentrated solar power (CSP), lags at least a couple of decades behind the more mature industries of wind energy and photovoltaics. That means that we can expect lots of interesting advancements as …
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Concentrated Solar Power, Can Play “Significant” Role in California
According to a study conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), concentrated solar power (CSP, aka solar thermal) can make a “significant contribution” to California’s grid-mix, and play a role in the state’s quest to meet its renewable portfolio …
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Discussing Solar Thermal (aka Concentrated Solar Power, or CSP) in Quaint Los Olivos, CA
On Sunday afternoons, I like to take a decent hike, say 7 or 8 miles, and wind up at a nice place where I can get a beer, shake a few hands, and discuss what’s going on in the world. …
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Distributed Generation and the Intermittency of Renewable Energy
When we generate energy from renewable sources, we normally contemplate putting it on the grid. But then the issue arises: What about intermittency, and the need to back it up with dispatchable sources? People often forget that distributed generation does …
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