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AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands, October 19, 2005 (Refocus Weekly) There are “no technical, economic or resource barriers to supplying 5% of the world’s electricity needs from solar thermal power by 2040,” concludes a report prepared by the European Solar Thermal Industry Association, European Solar Thermal Industry Association, IEA SolarPACES and Greenpeace International.
“The solar thermal industry is capable of becoming a dynamic, innovative Euro 16.4 billion annual business within 20 years, unlocking a new global era of economic, technological and environmental progress,” explains ‘Concentrated Solar Thermal Power - Now!’, even through global demand for electricity is expected to double during that period. By 2025, the industry will employ 54,000 people and have avoided the emission of 362 Mt of carbon into the atmosphere, equivalent to the annual emission of Japan.
“Solar thermal power is a relatively new technology which has already shown enormous promise,” it notes. “With few environmental impacts and a massive resource, it offers a comparable opportunity to the sunniest countries of the world as offshore windfarms are currently offering to European nations with the windiest shorelines. By 2040, more than 5% of the world’s electricity demand could be satisfied by solar thermal power.”
The groups produced the report to improve understanding of the contribution of solar thermal to energy supply, and the “practical blueprint” shows that solar thermal power could supply electricity to 100 million people within two decades. The Middle East and North Africa are poised to play a leading role in the future of the industry, and could generate the same electricity as 72 coal-fired power stations.
Algeria and Morocco could export solar power to markets in Europe after they are connected to the continent’s grid, and the report calls for political and economic support to create energy markets with a level playing field for the economic and environmental benefits of solar thermal power. Another recommendation is that countries incorporate targets for green power into their national laws to create a stable environment for long-term investors in solar power.
In sunny regions, one square kilometre of land is sufficient to generate 100 to 120 GWh of electricity per year using solar thermal technology, equivalent to a 50 MW conventional coal- or gas-fired mid-load power plant. Concentrating Solar Power technologies can also store solar heat collected during the day for use at night, and facilities in California cost US$0.14 per kWh with a decline to 7c expected in future, while “advanced technologies, mass production, economies of scale and improved operation will together enable a reduction in the cost of solar electricity to a level competitive with fossil-fueled peak- and mid-load power stations within the next ten to 15 years.”
Algeria is building a plant with 25 MW solar trough capacity, Egypt with 30 MW, Greece with 50 MW, India with 30 MW, Italy with 40 MW, Mexico with 30 MW, Morocco with 30 MW, Spain with 500 MW, and the U.S. with 50 MW solar capacity in Nevada and 500 MW in California.
“Over the period of the scenario, solar thermal technology will have emerged from a relatively marginal position in the hierarchy of renewable energy sources to achieve a substantial status alongside the current market leaders such as hydro and wind power,” the report notes. “From a current level of just 354 MW total installed capacity, the rate of annual installation by 2015 will have reached 970 MW, thus reaching a total installed capacity of 6,454 MW. By 2025, 4,600 MW will come on steam each year.”
By 2025, the total installed global capacity of solar thermal power is expected to exceed 36,000 MW with annual output of 96 million MWh, equivalent to the consumption of one half of Australia’s electricity demand, or the total combined consumption of Denmark and Belgium or Israel, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.
“The five most promising regions, in terms of governmental targets or potentials according to the scenario, each with more than 1,000 MW of solar thermal projects expected by 2025, are the Mediterranean, especially Spain, the countries of the Middle East and North Africa, the southern states of the USA, and Australia,” it notes.
“The solid industrial and political commitment to the expansion of the solar thermal power plant industry shows that the current surge of activity in the solar electricity sector is only a foretaste of the potential, massive transformation and expansion over the coming decades,” it concludes. “Although reports are a useful guide, it is people who change the world by their actions. We encourage politicians and policy-makers, citizens worldwide, energy officials and regulators, utility companies, development banks and private investors and other interested parties to support solar thermal power by taking concrete steps which will help ensure that hundreds of millions of people will receive their electricity from the sun, harnessing its full potential for our common good.”
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