The Economics and Policy of Concentrating Solar Power Generation (Green Energy and Technology)

This book provides an up-to-date analysis of state-of-the-art concentrating solar power (CSP) generation. It focuses on the economic analysis of CSP generation technologies as well as the policies that have been and are being used around the globe to support it. The book describes the industrial sectors whose products make up the solar field, including the traditional manufacturers of turbines and generators. The authors provide the main theoretical tools needed to comprehend the costs of CSP technologies compared to other competing technologies (both conventional and renewable) and discuss the conceptual rationale behind creating public support for these technologies and the costs of various promotional techniques. Further, the book examines the concepts from different disciplinary traditions in economics (including environmental, innovation, industrial and public), which are then combined and integrated for an analysis of the costs and policies of CSP electricity. Addressing the main findings and the challenges for future CSP, the book is a valuable resource for researchers and practitioners. It is also of use to industrial engineers, as it identifies the features of the sector’s supply chain value, rooted in and supported by an industrial economics approach. Front Matter ....Pages i-xii Introduction (Pere Mir-Artigues, Pablo del Río, Natàlia Caldés)....Pages 1-5 Concentrating Solar Power Technologies: Solar Field Types and Additional Systems (Pere Mir-Artigues, Pablo del Río, Natàlia Caldés)....Pages 7-22 Short History, Recent Facts, and the Prospects of Concentrating Solar Power Generation (Pere Mir-Artigues, Pablo del Río, Natàlia Caldés)....Pages 23-84 Economics of Concentrating Solar Power Generation (Pere Mir-Artigues, Pablo del Río, Natàlia Caldés)....Pages 85-134 Support for Research, Development, and Demonstration (Pere Mir-Artigues, Pablo del Río, Natàlia Caldés)....Pages 135-155 Public Support Schemes for the Deployment of Plants (Pere Mir-Artigues, Pablo del Río, Natàlia Caldés)....Pages 157-193 Summing Up (Pere Mir-Artigues, Pablo del Río, Natàlia Caldés)....Pages 195-198