Concentrated solar power
Use of mirror or lens assemblies to heat a working fluid for electricity generation / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Concentrated solar power (CSP, also known as concentrating solar power, concentrated solar thermal) systems generate solar power by using mirrors or lenses to concentrate a large area of sunlight into a receiver.[1] Electricity is generated when the concentrated light is converted to heat (solar thermal energy), which drives a heat engine (usually a steam turbine) connected to an electrical power generator[2][3][4] or powers a thermochemical reaction.[5][6][7]
As of 2021, global installed capacity of concentrated solar power stood at 6.8 GW.[8] As of 2023, the total was 8.1 GW, with the inclusion of three new CSP projects in construction in China[9] and in Dubai in the UAE.[9] The U.S.-based National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), which maintains a global database of CSP plants, counts 6.6 GW of operational capacity and another 1.5 GW under construction. [10]