SOLAR THERMAL ELECTRIC POWER PLANTS: THEIR PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS AND TOTAL SOCIAL COSTS.

In the central receiver ( ″power tower″ ) concept the fossil or nuclear boiler is replaced by a large field of reflectors of solar energy (heliostats) which redirects sunlight to a boiler is replaced by a large tower (about 300 meters). This concept is compared to other solar power plant designs which feature distributed solar collection and use other types of solar collector configurations such as single axis tracking linear concentrators using either a parabolic trough or strip mirror, two axis tracking point concentrators using a parabolic dish and a variety of energy transport schemes and finally an advance version of a non-tracking collector with modest concentration, selective coatings and a vacuum enclosure around the absorber plant. A variety of solar thermal storage concepts are discussed and their effects on system performance are indicated. The economic and social impact ″footprint″ of this class of solar plant is shown and compared to likely conventional fossil and nuclear power plants. The time frame of interest is commercial plant startup by 1990 and significant ( greater than equivalent to 5%) commercial power production by 2000. Besides the total direct capital cost, estimates are made for operation and maintenance costs and even escalated fuel costs for the conventional plants. The social impacts include public R&D expenses to create first commercial plants and the consumption of resources. Examples to the latter are water use, land use and materials required for construction. Effluents are also indicated such as air or water pollutants during the fuel cycle of conventional plants and during the primary materials processing for solar plant construction. The health effects in terms of person days lost due to disease, illness or death are noted for each approach. An attempt is made to identify the major ingredients of the total social cost of each type of central plant. The main categories are utility economic costs, R&D funds, health costs and other social impacts.