Comments on: Concentrating Solar Power With Thermal Energy Storage Is Economically Useful For Utility Company Profits, Study Finds http://cleantechnica.com/2012/12/24/concentrating-solar-power-with-thermal-energy-storage-is-economically-useful-for-utility-company-profits-study-finds/ Clean Tech News & Views: Solar Energy News. Wind Energy News. EV News. & More. Mon, 29 Dec 2014 03:30:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.1 By: Bob_Wallace http://cleantechnica.com/2012/12/24/concentrating-solar-power-with-thermal-energy-storage-is-economically-useful-for-utility-company-profits-study-finds/#comment-144828 Tue, 25 Dec 2012 17:10:00 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=46522#comment-144828 The advantage of hydrogen, battery, CAES or pump-up storage over CSP-heat is that they are non-discriminating. They can accept input from any generator while CSP-heat is limited to what thermal is captured.

A storage system that can perform multiple cycles per day is going to make more money than a system limited to one.

]]> By: robertemery http://cleantechnica.com/2012/12/24/concentrating-solar-power-with-thermal-energy-storage-is-economically-useful-for-utility-company-profits-study-finds/#comment-144825 Tue, 25 Dec 2012 15:40:00 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=46522#comment-144825 The CSP boys shot themselves in the foot. The next generation of CSP was trough or Fresnel solar direct steam generation and specifically excluded from Government funding. Implementation continues overseas although not widely known in the US.

Solar PV has an advantage over CSP other than falling costs. PV can be used to dissociate the water molecule into hydrogen and oxygen and the hydrogen stored and during evening demand used to produce electricity by fuel cells. All the components are essentially off the shelf and will also be used to provide hydrogen for fuel cell vehicles.

]]> By: robertemery http://cleantechnica.com/2012/12/24/concentrating-solar-power-with-thermal-energy-storage-is-economically-useful-for-utility-company-profits-study-finds/#comment-144822 Tue, 25 Dec 2012 15:17:00 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=46522#comment-144822 The study is slanted in that it assumes and compares the costs of intermittent simple cycle peaking plants to thermal storage. The solar production curve does not exactly match the peak demand curve, the more solar that is used, the more expensive peaking power is needed until 34% RE. I am commenting on facts of a study and not on solar directly. Solar is the future

]]> By: Ronald Brak http://cleantechnica.com/2012/12/24/concentrating-solar-power-with-thermal-energy-storage-is-economically-useful-for-utility-company-profits-study-finds/#comment-144815 Tue, 25 Dec 2012 13:18:00 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=46522#comment-144815 If solar PV pushes down electricity prices during the day then existing pumped storage will be used to meet evening demand and put downward pressure on evening electricity prices. Of course, the amount of existing energy storage varies from place to place.

]]> By: Bob_Wallace http://cleantechnica.com/2012/12/24/concentrating-solar-power-with-thermal-energy-storage-is-economically-useful-for-utility-company-profits-study-finds/#comment-144768 Tue, 25 Dec 2012 02:39:00 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=46522#comment-144768 A little problem that CSP might have is as PV prices continue to drop we will reach a point at which people will start to point some panels to the west and extend the solar day. That will take away a couple or so hours from CSP.

(And point some east to lengthen the solar day on that end as well.)

]]> By: JoeJoe http://cleantechnica.com/2012/12/24/concentrating-solar-power-with-thermal-energy-storage-is-economically-useful-for-utility-company-profits-study-finds/#comment-144730 Mon, 24 Dec 2012 19:41:00 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=46522#comment-144730 NREL strikes out again.

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