The report, issued by Greenpeace International, the European Solar Thermal Electricity Association and the International Energy Agency’s SolarPaces Group, states that in addition to fighting climate change fueled by the burning of fossil fuel, the solar power industry could employ as many as 2 million people by 2050.
Over $1 billion was invested in Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants last year, a number that could double in 2009, the report said.
CSP technology is used on hundreds of mirrors to concentrate the sun’s rays to a temperature between 752 and 1,832 degrees Fahrenheit and is based on direct sunlight known as “beam radiation,” meaning that sunlight that is not weakened by clouds, fumes or dust in the atmosphere.
“The main findings of the report are basically that after 15 years of development, this technology has finally taken off and is now available for large-scale power plants,” Sven Teske, co-author of the report told The Media Line.
A range of technologies can be used to concentrate and collect sunlight and turn it into medium to high temperature heat. This heat is then used to create electricity in a conventional way using a steam or gas turbine.
“It is a very important technology for countries with deserts because this technology only works in deserts; but the potential is huge due to the fact that you can actually store the heat created by the CSP plants. You will have 24/7 supply,” Teske said.
The report lists two successful projects in Morocco, two in Algeria, one in Egypt and one in Israel. Countries where additional projects are under way include Jordan and Iran.
“We have three scenarios in the report: one is the business as usual scenario with not a lot happening; then there is the moderate scenario which basically reflects the current uptake, and finally we have the advance scenario,” Teske said.
“The advance scenario is that this technology really gets wide support and takes off in terms of new installations. The area needed for these power plants is relatively small compared to the available desert. So if there is a network of deserts connected to the OECD [Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development], it is possible to supply that much power,” Teske said regarding the goal to supply 25% of the earth’s energy needs by 2050 through CSP.