Decarbonizing the Western U.S. Grid With CSP: An Update on the Findings of the CalCSP Study

Henry Price; Kyle Kattke; Keith Boyle; Devon Price; Ryan Shininger; Frederick Morse; Alexander Zolan; Sarah Awara; Chad Augustine; Xavier Lara

doi:10.52825/solarpaces.v3i.2410

Authors

Henry Price Solar Dynamics LLC https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6704-9197
Kyle Kattke Solar Dynamics LLC https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8729-4501
Keith Boyle Solar Dynamics LLC https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6436-0684
Devon Price Solar Dynamics LLC
Ryan Shininger Solar Dynamics LLC
Frederick Morse Morse Associates https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7640-2562
Alexander Zolan National Renewable Energy Laboratory https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2601-7604
Sarah Awara National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Chad Augustine National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Xavier Lara Aelius Energies

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.52825/solarpaces.v3i.2410

Keywords:

Concentrating Solar Power (CSP), California, Power Market, SB 100, Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), Molten Salt Tower, Thermal Energy Storage (TES)

Abstract

As states within the United States respond to future grid development goals, there is a growing demand for reliable and resilient nighttime generation that can be addressed by low-cost, long-duration energy storage solutions. This paper summarizes the findings of a study for the state of California that evaluated how molten-salt tower concentrating solar power (CSP) plants with thermal energy storage (TES) can be utilized to address the goals within the state established by Senate Bill 100. The study found that CSP exhibits deployment potential both in California and in the rest of the Western Interconnection and is utilized primarily to serve nighttime load. The plants are designed to collect and store energy during the day and then are dispatched to produce power at night. The paper presents a technoeconomic analysis that compares the cost of CSP to photovoltaics (PV) plus battery energy storage systems (BESS), provides an overview of capacity expansion modeling performed by NREL, and a screening analysis that identifies CSP siting potential in the U.S.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

[1] Price, Hank, Morse, F., Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) Plant Optimization Study for the California Power Market (CalCSP), SolarPACES 2022.

[2] Turchi, Craig, Plenary presentation at SolarPACES 2023.

[3] NREL 2023 Annual Technology Baseline (ATB), https://atb.nrel.gov/electricity/2023/data.

[4] L. Gill, A. Gutierrez and T. Weeks, "2021 SB 100 Joint Agency Report, CEC-200-2021-001," California Energy Commission, 2021.

[5] T. Mai, E. Drury, K. Eurek, N. Bodington, A. Lopez and A. Perry, "Resource Planning Model: An Integrated Resource Planning and Dispatch Tool for Regional Electric Systems," National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO, no. NREL/TP-6A20-56723, 2013.

[6] K. Abiodun, K. Hood, J. L. Cox, A. M. Newman and A. J. Zolan, "The value of concentrating solar power in ancillary services markets," Applied Energy, vol. 334, p. 120518, 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2022.120518.

[7] G. Maclaurin, N. Grue, A. Lopez, D. Heimiller, M. Rossol, G. Buster and T. Williams, "The Renewable Energy Potential (reV) Model: A Geospatial Platform for Technical Potential and Supply Curve Modeling," National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO, no. NREL/TP-6A20-73067, 2021.

[8] S. Nalley and A. LaRose, "Annual Energy Outlook 2022," US Energy Information Administration, 2022.

[9] L. Vimmerstedt, S. Akar, B. Mirletz, A. Sekar, D. Stright, C. Augustine, P. Beiter, P. Bhaskar, N. Blair, S. Cohen, and W. Cole, "Annual Technology Baseline: 2022 Electricity Update," National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO, no. NREL/PR-6A20-83064, 2022.

[10] P. Gagnon, A. Pham, W. Cole, S. Awara, A. Barlas, M. Brown, P. Brown, V. Carag, S. Cohen, A. Hamilton, J. Ho, S. Inskeep, A. Karmakar, L. Lavin, A. Lopez, T. Mai, J. Mowers, M. Mowers, C. Murphy, P. Pinchuk, A. Schleifer, B. Sergi, D. Steinberg and T. Williams, "2023 Standard Scenarios Report: A U.S. Electricity Sector Outlook," National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO, no. NREL/TP-6A40-87724, 2023:

[11] California Energy Commission, DRAFT STAFF REPORT - Land-Use Screens for Electric System Planning, no. CEC-700-2022-006-SD, October 2022.

[12] BLM, The BLM 2012 Solar Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) Record of Decision (ROD). https://blmsolar.anl.gov/solar-peis/.

[13] The 2016 Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) Land Use Plan Amendment (LUPA). https://blmsolar.anl.gov/drecp/.

[14] Faithful & Gould, https://www.fgould.com/worldwide/articles/2020-global-location-indices/.

[15] Dispatchable Solar Power Plant Project, https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1418902-dispatchable-solar-power-plant-project