Concentrating Solar Power or CSP is a solar power technology that produces electricity at a very low cost and may deliver it even in times of peak demands. CSP is able to produce cheap electricity by employing mirrors to concentrate sunlight and convert it to heat. This is the very reason why the U.S Department of Energy (DOE) wants CSP to be competitive in the intermediate power market by the year 2015. In fact, CSP is one of the four subprograms of the Solar Energy Technologies Program or SETP. DOE plans to achieve this goal by cost-shared contracts with the industry and collaborative efforts.

In CSP, mirrors are used to reflect and concentrate sunlight onto receivers that will collect the concentrated solar energy and convert it to heat. This heat will be used by a steam turbine or a heat driving generator to produce electricity. The resulting electricity can be sold to the market at a relatively low cost. Also, this electricity can be produced and sold even during periods of peak demands. The public are slowly noticing the benefits of CSP.  These are practically the reasons why DOE wants to improve and utilize CSP.

For the economic cost saving benefits of using CSP, DOE is now funding and developing ways to further utilize the low-cost electricity producing solar power technology. Currently, DOE has plans to increase the use of CSP in the United States and make CSP a competitive power source in the intermediate power market. These goals should be made into realization by the year 2015 and by the year 2020, DOE wants CSP to be competitive in the baseload power market.

The SETP program of DOE, in fact, is in charge of the strategic planning to achieve CSP related goals. This is because CSP is a part of the four subprograms of SETP aiming for competitive advancements of solar energy products. The other three subprograms are Photovoltaics, Market Transformation, and Systems Integration.

Through SETP, DOE levels up its CSP research, development, and deployment efforts leveraging both industry partners and the national laboratories. Additionally, DOE wants to achieve CSP goals though cost-shared contracts with the industry, advanced research at its national laboratories, and collaboration with other government agencies and organizations to deploy CSP technology. Also, outside companies and research organizations have collaborative efforts with DOE to make CSP one of the best energy sources in the near future. Their collaborative efforts include:

• Linear Concentrator Systems – this includes Research and Development or R&D on parabolic troughs, and also on other line-focus systems such as linear Fresnel reflectors.
• Dish/Engine Systems – this collaborative effort includes dish structures, mirrors, and Stirling engines.
• Power Tower Systems – links to R&D within other CSP areas that are relevant to heliostats, receivers, and overall systems issues for central-receiver solar plants.
• Thermal Storage – this includes R&D on heat transfer fluids and thermal storage materials which will advance CSP systems.
• Advanced Components and Systems – this is the R&D revolving on the characterization and the testing of CSP materials, components, systems, and other cross-cutting CSP technology.

Learn more basics of CSP operations within the main technology areas.

If DOE will succeed in their goals, CSP will surely be a very good addition to the sources of electricity for humans. By the year 2015, if DOE succeeds, humans can have a cheap electricity source available for all.