Page - 112 - in Water, Energy, and Environment - A Primer

8.2.2.4 CSTPhistory CSTP has a long history, dating back to the 1980s in its demonstration phase, and then as a commercial effortwhenLuz International installed 354MWof parabolic trough technology in nine separate projects in Kramer Junction, CA. The 354 MW, installed between 1984 and 1990, consisted of SEGS 1 (13.8MW), SEGS II–VII (30MW each), and SEGSVIII and IX (80 MW each). These plants fed their power into the Southern California Edison power grid and are still operating today. Regulatory and policy obstacles forced Luz into bankruptcy in 1991. The original owner of Luz is now head of Bright Source Energy Company, which operates a complex of three CSTP power towers in California, and has operations in China,Europe, Israel, andSouthAfrica. 8.2.2.5 Advantagesanddisadvantages One of CSTP’s key advantages is its close resemblance to traditional thermal power plants – it uses many of the same technologies and equipment, and substitutes concentrated high-temperature solar heat for the heat derived from the combustion of fossil fuels or from nuclear reactors. While it underwent a period of low visibility in the 1990s and early 2000s, there has been renewed interest in CSTP as its costs have come down. It is seen as a means of meeting RPS requirements, and as a means of reducing carbon emissions fromelectricity generation. CSTP’s other advantages include: it can be built in small sizes and added to as needed; can achieve high steamoperating temperatures, allowing more efficient power generation; is capable of combined-heat-and-power generation, providing steam for absorption chillers and industrial process heat; is a non-carbon-emitting power generator; and most importantly, incorporates thermal storage. This storage does not add significantly to generation costs, can be added to an existing Water,Energy, andEnvironment–APrimer112