Concentrated Solar Power, or CSP, is another possible technology to generate electricity from the sun. While it can store energy and thus provide electricity after the sun went down, the global current capacity is still around 5,000 MW, compared to solar PV’s being above 220,000 MW.
Tag: CSP
Morocco wants 42 percent renewables by 2020
If you think that solar energy is just fad dedicated to rich nations, read on : Morocco has a ” goal of increasing installed renewable energy capacity to 42 per cent by 2020 and becoming a renewable energy industry leader. “ The African Development Bank Group has been demonstrating its support to scaling up renewable… Continue reading Morocco wants 42 percent renewables by 2020
Saudi Arabia to invest massively in cleantech
Yes, you read that right : the oil superpower is willing to tap into its significant solar potential by installing no less than 41 gigawatts of solar capacity by 2032. The project is estimated to cost $109 billion (84 billion euros). Out of the 41 GW of capacity, 16 will be brought by solar photovoltaic… Continue reading Saudi Arabia to invest massively in cleantech
Desertec gets international support
According to Enerzine [Fr] and other sources the Desertec Project is getting international support as several companies from Europe, America and Africa are joining the Desertec Industrial Initiative (Dii). The US company First Solar was the first to join in and five more companies from Morocco, Tunisia, France, Spain and Italy followed suit. Desertec is… Continue reading Desertec gets international support
My humble opinion on Bill Gates’ speech at TED
Last month the founder of Microsoft gave a speech on low carbon energy and climate change at TED, a renowned event on Technology, Entertainment and Design. To Mr. Gates we need five means : carbon capture and storage, nuclear power and renewable energies (solar PV, Concentrated Solar Thermal and Wind power). I agree with that.… Continue reading My humble opinion on Bill Gates’ speech at TED
World Bank funds solar projects in North Africa
The World Bank via its Clean Technology Fund is investing $750 million (522 million euros) in eleven concentrating solar plants in the Middle East and North Africa region. This is due to spur additional investments worth $4.85 billion. These projects are due to add nearly a gigawatt of capacity to local grids within three to… Continue reading World Bank funds solar projects in North Africa
Storing solar electricity with molten salt
One of the main hindrances of solar energy is that when there is no more sun, there is no more electricity as well. This problem is being solved with the molten salt technology which stores energy for seven hours. A Californian company is willing to build a 150 Megawatt plant – The Rice Solar Energy… Continue reading Storing solar electricity with molten salt
Concentrating solar needs huge amounts of water
Concentrating Solar Thermal is a fantastic energy source and some experts estimate that it could answer a quarter of the global electricity needs by 2050 if large plants were installed in sunny deserts. However the New York Times notes that this energy source use significant amounts of water. Since this resource is already scarce in… Continue reading Concentrating solar needs huge amounts of water
Is Desertec a sound idea ?
The fact has been known for years: harvesting the energy provided by the sun to a tiny fraction of the Earth could supply all the energy Humankind needs without greenhouse gases emissions or pollution due to operation. This week many blogs and websites published articles on Desertec, a foundation that would like to install many… Continue reading Is Desertec a sound idea ?
A quarter of global electricity can be provided by solar thermal by 2050
I was writing in a comment that solar thermal could and even should provide electricity to the nations of the Middle East and how it would much better than nuclear. It seems I was quite right. Published by an environmental NGO and various official bodies specialized in solar energy, a study notes that concentrated solar… Continue reading A quarter of global electricity can be provided by solar thermal by 2050
The underestimated potential of solar thermal
Solar PV seems to be everywhere in the environmental news as many companies around the world are working in this segment. Meanwhile, little is written on the amazing potential of solar thermal. This may change soon. A US company specialized in solar thermal claims that Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) could bring 90 percent of the… Continue reading The underestimated potential of solar thermal