CSP Today, in collaboration with several worldwide CSP experts, is releasing a series of “technical top tips” to help future CSP developers get their projects off the ground. The first tip of the series is now available and has been put together in collaboration with Ferrostaal. The tip relates to the project development stage: “Optimize your project from the start: How to find an appropriate CSP Site”.
In the first technical top tip, Ferrostaal explains that “choosing the best site for a CSP plant is key to an economically successful project,” going on to list four factors that play a central role in this regard:
1. Solar Resources. A thorough investigation of irradiation databases can help in an initial assessment of sites. However, only on-ground measurements provide the accuracy to select the right one. And this accurate measurement is well worth its costs: finding a site with 10% higher irradiation decreases total electricity generating costs by approx. 8%.
2. Land Slope. Once exceeding a technology specific slope threshold, further 1% slope over 2km2 can mean $2-5 million higher levelling cost. Additionally, since the land preparations are at an early stage of the project, they have an especially negative influence on the project cash flow.
3. Availability of Water. Depending on the ambient temperature, dry cooling incurs a 2-4% loss of overall plant efficiency. This translates directly into lower annual production and plant revenues. Consequently, having water available and acquiring the necessary permits for its use can significantly increase the project economics.
4. Distance to Grid. Each kilometre of transmission line from the site to the grid sub-station increases the investment costs by $0.8 million. Both the analysis of transmission line paths as well as early discussions with utility companies on possible substation capacity reservation can reduce unnecessary costs.
“Early stage assessments can save or earn millions of dollars over the plant lifetime,” concludes Ferrostaal in the technical top tip available through CSP Today.
CSP Today will be continuously posting more of these tips and other information ahead of 2nd CSP Today India (April 12-13) as they are all relevant to the Indian market.
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