Concentrated solar power uses mirrors to turn sunlight into heat, which can then be used to drive traditional generating turbines. While concentrated solar costs fell enough to compete with nuclear power, photovoltaic prices plunged, making solar panels the cheapest source of power in most locations. The economics of PV panels are hard to beat at good solar sites. That has left a need to build a mix of other facilities, typically batteries and natural gas facilities.
Concentrated solar power system promises integrated fossil-fuel backup
Small company's hybrid design shares generating hardware and could help avoid the need for a separate backup facility
A small company is promising a concentrated solar power system designed so a fossil-fuel backup shares most of the generating hardware, potentially helping avoid the need for a separate facility, according to a report by Ars Technica.
The Daily Edition
The front page in your inbox each weekday morning: the lead, the picks, and why each one earned its place.
§
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Could make concentrated solar more competitive by eliminating the need for separate backup facilities.
- Reduces the cost and complexity of building reliable renewable energy systems.
- Offers a pathway to dispatchable solar power without relying solely on batteries.
Background
Concentrated solar power (CSP) uses mirrors to focus sunlight to produce heat, which then drives a turbine to generate electricity. Unlike photovoltaic panels, CSP can incorporate thermal storage to generate power after sunset. However, the rapid fall in PV costs made CSP uneconomical in most locations, limiting its deployment. The company's approach revives CSP by integrating fossil-fuel backup into the same hardware.
What to Watch
- Whether the company can demonstrate the system at commercial scale.
- How the hybrid system's cost compares with PV-plus-battery installations.
- Regulatory and environmental approval for integrating fossil backup into solar plants.
Sources
- Turning a solar power system into its own backup · Ars Technica
- Turning a solar power system into its own backup · Ars Technica
Checked
9 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 9 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedThe concentrated solar system promises integrated fossil-fuel backup.Ars Technica - All content: “Its version of concentrated solar is designed so that a fossil-fueled backup system shares most of the generating hardware with the solar side.”
- SupportedA small company’s hybrid design shares most of its generating hardware between solar and fossil-fuel backup.Ars Technica - All content: “But a small company is promising that it can help avoid the need to build a separate facility. Its version of concentrated solar is designed so that a fossil-fueled backup system shares most of the generating hardware with the solar side.”
- SupportedThe design could help avoid the need for a separate backup facility.Ars Technica - All content: “But a small company is promising that it can help avoid the need to build a separate facility.”
- SupportedArs Technica reports that the company is promising a concentrated solar system with shared fossil-fuel backup hardware.Ars Technica - All content: “But a small company is promising that it can help avoid the need to build a separate facility. Its version of concentrated solar is designed so that a fossil-fueled backup system shares most of the generating hardware with the solar side.”
- SupportedConcentrated solar uses mirrors to turn sunlight into heat, which can drive traditional generating turbines.Ars Technica - All content: “Rather than directly converting photons into electricity, concentrated solar energy uses mirrors to turn sunlight into heat, which can then be used to drive traditional generating turbines.”
- SupportedConcentrated solar costs fell enough to compete with nuclear power.Ars Technica - All content: “While concentrated solar costs fell enough to compete with nuclear power, the price of photovoltaics plunged, making solar panels the cheapest source of power in most locations.”
- SupportedPhotovoltaic prices plunged, making solar panels the cheapest source of power in most locations.Ars Technica - All content: “While concentrated solar costs fell enough to compete with nuclear power, the price of photovoltaics plunged, making solar panels the cheapest source of power in most locations.”
- SupportedAt good solar sites, the economics of photovoltaic panels are hard to beat.Ars Technica - All content: “Currently, if you have a good site to generate solar power, then the economics of PV panels are hard to beat.”
- SupportedThe economics of photovoltaic panels have left a need for a mix of other facilities, typically batteries and natural gas facilities.Ars Technica - All content: “That has left us needing to build a mixture of other facilities—typically batteries and natural gas facilities—to handle overnight needs or weather-driven shortfalls.”