Solar Thermal Power Technology: Present Status and Ideas for the Future

Rapid industrial developments and the resulting need for additional electrical power in major population centers of the world such as India, China and Brazil, have created a need and an opportunity for power from clean and renewable sources of energy. The need to develop and use resources such as solar energy, wind, and biomass has assumed even greater importance in view of the concern for environmental damage that could occur if all of the anticipated power demand in the expanding economies were met by fossil fuels. Recent advances in wind energy technology have made it economically competitive with fossil-fuel-generated electricity, wherever sufficient wind resource is available. Solar thermal power can be economically competitive when compared with coal-generated electricity if environmental costs are accounted for (Goswami, 1994). However, without considering such environmental costs (a realistic scenario for developing countries like India and China) solar power may not be competitive at present because of the high capital costs. The potential exists for reducing these expenses by improving the performance of thermal power systems. The system performance can be improved by employing new and innovative ideas in thermal power cycles. This article reviews some of these ideas and research needs to make solar thermal power cost competitive.