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Global review of CSP technologies

Includes abstract.

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Sikhosana, Qedile
Other Authors: Cowan, Bill
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Department of Mechanical Engineering 2015
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access_status_str Open Access
author Sikhosana, Qedile
author2 Cowan, Bill
author_browse Cowan, Bill
Sikhosana, Qedile
author_facet Cowan, Bill
Sikhosana, Qedile
author_sort Sikhosana, Qedile
collection Thesis
description Includes abstract.
format Thesis
id oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/12454
institution University of Cape Town (South Africa)
language eng
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:32:45.765Z
license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2015
publishDateRange 2015
publishDateSort 2015
publisher Department of Mechanical Engineering
publisherStr Department of Mechanical Engineering
record_format dspace
source_str UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/12454 Global review of CSP technologies Sikhosana, Qedile Cowan, Bill Bennett, Kevin Sustainable Energy Engineering Includes abstract. This global review of concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies is based mainly on an assessment of available international literature, up to 31 October 2011. It includes a review of major CSP projects currently operating or under development at this time; the respective CSP technologies employed; and an assessment of the present and future economics of CSP relative to other conventional and renewable energy electricity-generating technologies. Global outlook scenarios for CSP are discussed, as well as specific conditions and proposals for CSP developments in South Africa. The economic analysis has been limited by several challenges. Since the CSP industry is new, there are few well-documented projects on which to base the analysis. Most of the projects referenced here are from the USA and Spain. As the CSP market rapidly expands, competition in the industry tends to restrict the disclosure of detailed financial/economic information for projects under development. In general, it has been difficult to compare the publicly available economic data, on a reliable basis, since the financial costing parameters used may vary from case to case. In addition, most of the economic forecasts, which have been reviewed, are based on forward modeling rather than practical proven costs. There are uncertainties and quite wide variations in such predictions. This dissertation concludes, however, that there is great optimism for the growing employment of CSP technology in the near future and that CSP electricity-generating costs, in areas with high solar energy resources, are expected to become competitive with levelised electricity generating costs from other conventional and renewable energy technologies. The cost reduction potentials for CSP lie mainly in expected technical research and development advances, and production economies of scale, achieved by high volume deployment, supported by mid-term investment incentives from governments and other agencies. Another cost reduction potential, especially in the South African context, lies in the localization of skills and local fabrication of some plant structures and components. 2015-02-11T14:16:30Z 2015-02-11T14:16:30Z 2011 Master Thesis Masters MSc http://hdl.handle.net/11427/12454 eng application/pdf Department of Mechanical Engineering Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment University of Cape Town
spellingShingle Sustainable Energy Engineering
Sikhosana, Qedile
Global review of CSP technologies
thesis_degree_str Master's
title Global review of CSP technologies
title_full Global review of CSP technologies
title_fullStr Global review of CSP technologies
title_full_unstemmed Global review of CSP technologies
title_short Global review of CSP technologies
title_sort global review of csp technologies
topic Sustainable Energy Engineering
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/12454
work_keys_str_mv AT sikhosanaqedile globalreviewofcsptechnologies