electricity

• Design, Construction and Operation of CSP Solar Thermal Power Plants in Florida (2011)-

  This document was assembled by the University of Southern Florida and the Florida Energy Systems Consortium (FESC) as an overview of their developments with solar thermal systems. More specifically, this focuses on the design, construction and operation of CSP Solar Thermal Power Plants in Florida. This project aims to develop a solar thermal power technology that will lead diverse energy resources in Florida and reduce greenhouse emissions by utilizing renewable sources.

• Break-even Cost for Residential Solar Water Heating in the United States: Key Drivers and Sensitivities (2011)-

  This technical report was written by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). It examines the technology and economics that determine whether the cost of energy saved by a residential solar thermal hot water heating system will equal the cost of purchasing electricity or natural gas generated heat from the grid. This is known as the break-even cost.

• Renewable Energy in Europe. Markets, Trends and Technologies (2010)-

  This second edition of the European Renewable Energy Council (EREC) study presents the latest political, technological, financial and economic information on renewable energy technologies in the fields of heating and cooling, electricity and biofuels in order to reach the binding 2020 target of at least 20 % renewable energy from final energy consumption.

• Solar Thermal Power Plants: On the Way to Commercial Market Introduction (2008)- This presentation made by Prof. Hans Müller-Steinhagen from the Institute for Thermodynamics of the German Aerospace Centre provides an overview of solar power plants, their current use, benefits and potential. The presentation goes through examples of solar power plants, outlining the different systems and technologies available. An estimation of the costs and the profits of using such technologies is also provided, allowing, thus, to conclude on its paramount potential on electricity cost reduction.
• Solar Thermal Electricity as the Primary Replacement for Coal and Oil in the U.S. (2008)-

  This report was arranged by Chairman David R. Mills and Chief Development Officer Robert G. Morgan of Ausra, Inc. in 2008. The report encourages people to look into solar thermal electricity as a healthier alternative to fossil fuels and oil in supplying energy for transportation.

  Although solar thermal electricity had been very expensive to conduct at one time, the price for this technology is now decreasing.

• Solar Thermal Power 2020: Exploiting the Heat from the Sun to Combat Climate Change (2003)-

  This study is a product of a partnership between the European Solar Thermal Industry Association (today's ESTELA) and Greenpeace. It provides information on the current state of solar thermal technology, and develops a scenario for where the solar thermal market could be by the year 2020.

• Final Report on Technical Data, Costs and Life Cycle Inventories of Solar Thermal Power Plants (2008)-

  This report from 2008 has been published under the NEEDS programme (New Energy Externalities Developments for Sustainability) which aims “to evaluate the full costs and benefits of energy policies and of future energy systems”.

• Solar Power from Europe’s Sun Belt (2009)-

  This 2009 document is the contribution from ESTELA (European Solar Thermal Electricity Association) to the European Commission’s Strategic Energy Technology Plan. The report gives a good overview of the strategic benefits of focusing on solar thermal and connects it with its socio-economic benefits.