Industry Insight

Egypt: Strong outlook for CSP

Katherine Steiner-Dicks — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:42:31 +0100

Putting all your eggs in one basket has always been a no-no in the investment world, so why has it been different for so many countries' energy sources? Egypt is one of the many nations around the world diversifying its energy mix. Jason Deign reports on why Egypt, a major gas and oil producer seeing electricity demands nearly doubling in the past 8 years, could soon be a hotspot for CSP.

Cutting solar thermal down to size

Katherine Steiner-Dicks — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:15:29 +0100

Developers are focusing on smaller scale concentrated solar thermal installations in the face of increasing competition from PV technology, regulatory hurdles and investor aversion to risk. Oliver Wagg reports

CSP lifecycle: Decommissioning logistics

Katherine Steiner-Dicks — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 12:16:15 +0100

If you are a developer struggling to get a CSP project off the ground, the good news is that clearing up the plant when it reaches the end of its life is not likely to be a problem… and it is something you may not have to worry about for a long, long time. Jason Deign reports.

US solar rent schedule: Over-inflating land values, undermining projects

Katherine Steiner-Dicks — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 12:11:04 +0100

Does the US Bureau of Land Management’s rent schedule for solar developments on federal land threaten to undermine project viability? Bob Moser reports

The BLM fast track: Speeding CSP project development in the US?

Rikki Stancich — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 16:50:59 +0100

Pre-approved public land complete with EIS will soon be up for grabs in the US for CSP project development. But whether the process will make public land more attractive than private land remains to be seen.

Spain reaches CSP tariff agreement

Rikki Stancich — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:36:10 +0100

After months of uncertainty over tariffs, Spain’s CSP sector is returning to business as usual having secured a favourable deal with the administration.

Will North Africa come to Europe’s rescue in 2020?

DHumphrey — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 13:31:22 +0100

Through the Mediterranean Solar Plan, North African CSP could go a long way to helping the European Union meet its 2020 renewable energy pledge. But considerable obstacles may yet cloud the sunny outlook for the technology.

No room for CSP mini-grids in emerging markets

DHumphrey — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 11:03:44 +0100

Emerging markets with poor grid infrastructure will likely overlook concentrated solar powered mini grids applications in favour of photovoltaic technology. But there is still a niche for CSP.

Letters to the editor

DHumphrey — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 13:07:50 +0100

Novatec-Biosol’s response to the article Just how sustainable is CSP?, and commentary on Creating fertile ground in the desert, published in the July 5th edition of CSP Today.

Creating fertile ground for CSP in the desert

Rikki Stancich — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:09:33 +0100

North African nations such as Algeria and Morocco are ideally located for CSP. But they will need to offer a lot more than sunshine in order to satisfy investors.