On Wednesday, April 3, we informed the California Energy Commission (CEC) that we’re suspending the permit application for the Hidden Hills Solar Energy Generating System project.

The Ivanpah solar project just celebrated installation of the 100,000^th heliostat, but what, you may ask, is a heliostat?

(OAKLAND, CA) MAY 20, 2013 – BrightSource Energy, Inc., a leading concentrating solar thermal technology company, has named Steven Goers as senior vice president of operations, effective immediately. Goers brings more than 30 years of experience in power plant engineering and management, and international power development to his role at BrightSource.

Treehugger.com - The largest concentrating solar power plant (100 MW) in operation is currently in Abu Dhabi, but it won't stay at the top of the list for too long. Brightsource Energy is putting the finishing touches on its massive Ivanpah concentrating solar power (CSP) plant in the Mojave desert, and if all goes well, the switch should be flipped this year.

Greentech Media-  The evidence is piling up that when the real value of energy is considered, electricity generated from concentrating solar power plants with storage capability outperforms solar photovoltaic and wind power.  

The Value of CSP with Thermal Storage

The Concentrating Solar Power Alliance (CSPA) has just released “The Economic and Reliability Benefits of CSP with Thermal Energy Storage: Recent Studies and Research Needs.”  Authored by Dr. Udi Helman, Brightsource’s Director of Economic and Pricing Analysis, the report synthesizes and reviews recent research highlighting the economic value of CSP with thermal energy storage. Of particular interest to regulators, utility planners and grid operators.

Key Takeaway:

Due to its flexibility in dispatching power to the grid, the value of CSP with storage is $32/MWh to $40/MWh higher than the value of a Photovoltaic (PV) plant.

The analysis evaluates CSP with thermal energy storage (TES) in a scenario in which California derives 33% of its electricity from renewable energy sources in 2020. Employing a commercial grid simulation tool, it examines the avoided operational and capacity costs associated with CSP with TES and compares this value to PV as well as a “baseload” generator (i.e., with constant output). Operational costs include energy, ancillary services, emissions, and variable O&M costs. The analysis demonstrates the key economic benefits of dispatchable CSP – including the flexibility to generate during periods of high market value and withhold production during periods of lower value.