Life cycle assessment studies of concentrated solar power technology: A literature review

The current study offers a literature review of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in the context of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) technology. The methodology involved a bibliometric search and an in-depth critical literature review. The existing reviews indicated opportunities to enhance clarity in the methodology used for selecting literature. Subsequently, the reviewed literature was presented in tabular format, categorized according to CSP plant configuration, subsystem, and technology purpose. The findings indicate lack of available data to perform accurate inventories, and a lack of harmonization of the Life Cycle Impact Assessment methodologies. The results revealed that the most analyzed impact category was climate change, with values averaging 50 g CO₂, eq/kWh. There is a need for more LCA investigations about dish-Stirling and Linear Fresnel plants, as well as investigations analyzing other impact categories. Many studies in the CSP LCA domain are directing their attention towards thermal storage, however, the environmental impact of the decommissioning of plants has not yet been thoroughly analyzed. It has been observed that SimaPro is the preferred LCA software by the authors, together with Ecoinvent as database. The literature review revealed a gap in knowledge in LCA studies addressing operational challenges such as corrosion or fatigue, emerging solutions, and updated inventory data, presenting an opportunity for researchers to enhance the market viability of CSP technologies by addressing these deficiencies. Finally, a simplified case study comparing Central Receiver and Parabolic Trough Collector (PTC) systems found that PTC had higher environmental impacts due to the contribution of the Heat Transfer Fluid (HTF).