Sandiso Phaliso
CONCENTRATED Solar Power (CSP), which can generate heat even when there is no sunshine or wind, will be the key to making solar energy a viable energy source over the next 30 years, according to researchers from the Department of Science and Technology.
At the moment CSP is aimed at relieving the effects of load shedding, but once fully developed it will be a viable alternative power source for South Africans, said Science and Technology Director General Phil Mjwara.
Mjwara revealed this during the annual international SolarPACES conference, which started yesterday at the Cape Town International Convention Centre and is expected to continue until Friday.
The event, attended by delegates from 40 countries, includes an exhibition of companies working in the energy field.
CSP could offer a stable supply of energy and would create job opportunities for local people, Mjwara said.
Australian Solar Thermal Research Initiative director Manuel Blanco said CSP systems used the sun as a thermal heat source, as opposed to using its photon energy.
CSP involves the collection of the sun’s energy using long, rectangular, parabolic mirrors.
Then the parallel rows of mirrors scan across the solar field and rotate, and follow the sun from east to west, focusing sunlight on receiver tubes that run the length of the mirrors, said Blanco.
CSP is already implemented in many countries, including the US, Spain, Morocco and China. Pilot projects are being implemented in parts of South Africa.
His department had spent approximately R70 million researching CSP, Mjwara said.
“With the CSP, you can provide power at times that other solars are unable to.”
Vikesh Rajpaul, programme manager of CSP at the Renewables Business Unit at Eskom, said the implementation of CSP would create jobs for many South Africans.
International Energy Agency senior analyst Cedric Philibert said: “We believe this technology has a huge potential to make a huge impact.
“The technology would help avoid load shedding. It has a bright future for many countries around the world.”
@PhalisoSandiso