Water and CSP - linking CSP water demand models and national hydrology data to sustainably manage CSP development and water resources in arid regions
Date
2020-04-21
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
MDPI
Abstract
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: A systematic approach to evaluate Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) plant fleet deployment
and sustainable water resource use in arid regions is presented. An overview is given of previous
work carried out. Once CSP development scenarios, suitable areas for development, and the water
demand from CSP operations were evaluated, appropriate spatiotemporal CSP performance models
were developed. The resulting consumptive patterns and the impact of variable resource availability
on CSP plant operation are analysed. This evaluation considered the whole of South Africa, with focus
on the areas identified as suitable for CSP, in order to study the impact on local water resources. It was
found that the hydrological limitations imposed by variable water resources on CSP development
are severe. The national annual theoretical net generation potential of wet-cooled Parabolic Trough
decreased from 11,277 to 120 TWh, and that of wet-cooled Central Receiver decreased from 12,003 to
170 TWh. Dry cooled versions also experience severe limitations, but to a lesser extent—the national
annual theoretical net generation potential of Parabolic Trough decreased from 11,038 to 512 TWh,
and that of Central Receiver decreased from 11,824 to 566 TWh. Accordingly, policy guidelines are
suggested for sustainable CSP development and water resource management within the context of
current South African water use regulation.
Description
CITATION: Duvenhage, D. Frank et al. 2020. Water and CSP - linking CSP water demand models and national hydrology data to sustainably manage CSP development and water resources in arid regions. Sustainability, 12(8): 3373, doi:10.3390/su12083373.
The original publication is available at: https://www.mdpi.com
The original publication is available at: https://www.mdpi.com
Keywords
Solar power, Water consumption, Renewable energy, Hydrological research, Water resources -- Management, Concentrating Solar Power, Sustainable development, Arid regions
Citation
Duvenhage, D. Frank et al. 2020. Water and CSP - linking CSP water demand models and national hydrology data to sustainably manage CSP development and water resources in arid regions. Sustainability, 12(8): 3373, doi:10.3390/su12083373