Life Cycle Assessment of a Model Parabolic Trough Concentrating Solar Power Plant With Thermal Energy Storage

Abstract

This study evaluates the environmental impacts of a hypothetical 103 megawatt, parabolic trough, wet-cooled concentrating solar power (CSP) plant in the U.S. Southwest with 6.3 hours of thermal energy storage by means of a hybrid life cycle assessment. Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions, cumulative energy demand, and water consumption associated with the manufacture, construction, operation, dismantling, and disposal of the power plant are evaluated and disaggregated by major systems and components. The reference CSP plant emits 26 g CO2eq per kWh of electrical output across its life cycle, cumulatively demands 0.43 MJeq/kWh of energy, and consumes 4.7 L/kWh of water. The majority of water is consumed by the power block for evaporative cooling. Sensitivity analyses are performed on several key assumptions and design elements: the configuration of the thermal energy storage system (i.e., thermocline), the heat transfer fluid, the nitrate salts, the cooling system type (i.e., dry-cooled) and the energy required for construction and end-of-life dismantling. Our base case results are robust to alternative assumptions regarding the heat transfer fluid and energy required for construction and dismantling; however, the total life cycle impacts are strongly influenced by the type of cooling system and nitrate salts employed.

Life Cycle Assessment of a HYSOL Concentrated Solar Power Plant: Analyzing the Effect of Geographic Location

“…Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is an appropriate methodology to evaluate the environmental performance of renewable technologies, as has been proven in scientific literature [7][8][9]. The environmental impacts of conventional CSP plants have been previously evaluated by the scientific community [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. These analyses are all based on LCA methodology, and evaluate the environmental performance of CSP plants of varying capacity, operating with different technologies (parabolic trough/Fresnel reflectors, central tower, Stirling dish), including specific component characteristics (air/wet cooling, thermal storage technology) and hybridization with different fuels.…”

SunShot Vision Study: February 2012 (Book)

“…Proven reserves are 29.4 million MT, although this figure is based on exploration of only 16% of total reserves (SQM 2009). Burkhardt et al (2010) estimate that the nitrate salt requirement for a thermocline storage system is approximately 32% of the two-tank system assumed in Table 5-2 and that higher-temperature TES would reduce this requirement even further. As a result, Table 5-3 assumes a MT/MW nitrate salt requirement equal to approximately 22% of the requirement in Table 5-2.…”

“…During an expected lifetime of 30 years, PV systems produce 10-30 times the energy required for their manufacture (Fthenakis and Alsema 2006). The energy payback time for CSP systems is about 12-13 months for a plant in Daggett, California, with a direct-normal irradiance (DNI) of 2,700 kWh/m 2 /year (yr) (Burkhardt et al 2010). During an assumed lifetime of 30 years, such a CSP system would produce about 20 times the energy required for its manufacture.…”

“…Manufacturing and supply chain issues are also considered. Table 5-2 provides the construction material breakdown for a 100-MW parabolic trough plant with 6 hours of TES and a solar multiple of 2.2, i.e., for 2010 technology design and performance characteristics as adapted from Burkhardt et al (2010), which assumes a 103-MW plant with 6.3 hours of TES. The estimates shown in Table 5-2 do not include commonly available construction materials such as gravel, asphalt, and various plastics, which may be used in significant volumes in CSP plants but generally are not subject to supply constraints.…”

Análisis de sostenibilidad del ciclo de vida de una configuración innovadora de tecnología termosolar

“…Aunque los impactos ambientales y económicos de la tecnología termosolar han sido estimados previamente por diversos autores (Burkhardt et al 2010, Caldés et al 2009, Klein and Rubin 2013, los impactos sociales todavía no han sido abordados. Por lo tanto, los resultados de este estudio ayudarán a comprender por primera vez las implicaciones sociales de la implementación de esta tecnología en España.…”