Amongst the CSP technologies currently in commercial operation, parabolic trough remains the most widely deployed and mature technology, accounting for as much as 95% of global installed CSP capacity. Despite profiting from phenomenal development over the last three decades, parabolic trough remains too expensive at a time when the costs of PV and wind energy are declining, while gas prices are also bottoming out. How will the technology maintain its mid-to-long term market share, and where do cost-reduction opportunities lie?
In the article below, based on a document recently published by CSP Today, the issues are discussed at length.
As detailed in CSP Today’s Parabolic Trough Technology Report 2014: Performance and Thermal Storage, the current global portfolio for the parabolic trough industry features 67 operating plants, spread across twelve markets around the world. Together these plants represent 95% of the total global CSP installed capacity, while parabolic trough plants under construction and development amount to 1.85 GW and 1.08 GW, respectively.
Article published in: FuturENERGY October 2013
