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A new study has revealed that concentrating solar power (CSP) could supply a large fraction of the power supply in a decarbonized energy system.
According to the study, a connected CSP system could provide 70-80% of current electricity demand, at no extra cost compared to gas-fired power plants, whose percentage is similar to what a standard energy production plant, such as a nuclear plant, can provide.
Stefan Pfenninger, who led the study while working at IIASA, said that solar energy systems can satisfy much more of our hunger for electricity, at not much more cost than what we currently have.
CSP uses the sun's energy to heat up a liquid that drives turbines, which means that the collected energy can be stored as heat, and converted to electricity only when needed.
But even with CSP, if the sun doesn't shine for long periods of time, the system may not be able to support large-scale energy needs
Study co-author Anthony Patt said that the researchers first looked closely at whether it's possible to build a power system based primarily on solar energy, and still provide reliable electricity to consumers around the clock, every day of the year.
Patt added that they find this to be possible in two world regions, the Mediterranean basin and the Kalahari Desert of Southern Africa.
The study was published in the journal Nature Climate Change.
