Can parabolic trough technology maintain its privileged place in emerging markets?

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