Background and status of CSP
In Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) plants, mirrors focus sunlight to generate heat and steam, producing electricity through a conventional thermodynamic cycle. Unlike solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, which utilize both direct and diffuse sunlight, CSP utilizes only the direct component known as Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI). CSP plants can integrate a heat storage system, allowing for electricity generation even during cloudy weather or after sunset. Thermal storage substantially enhances the capacity factor and dispatchability of CSP in comparison to PV and wind power. It is possible to classify CSP systems according to the mechanism by which the solar collectors concentrate solar irradiation: either “linear concentrating” or “point concentrating” varieties. Most existing systems use linear concentrating systems called parabolic trough collectors. Solar towers, sometimes also known as power towers, are the most widely deployed point concentrating CSP technology, but represented only ...
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