Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Market - Forecasts from 2022 to 2027

The global concentrated solar power (CSP) market was valued at US$1.280 billion in 2020 and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 10.67% over the forecast period to reach a total market size of US$2.602 billion in 2027. Concentrated solar power (CSP) plants use mirrors to concentrate the sun’s energy to run conventional steam turbines or engines that generate electricity. The thermal energy concentrated in a CSP plant can be stored and used to generate electricity as per requirements, day or night. CSP technology generates electricity by focusing on sunlight. The concentrated sun’s energy is converted into high-temperature heat, which is then channelled through a conventional generator. The CSP plant consists of two parts: the first one collects the solar energy and converts it into heat, and the second converts the heat energy into electricity. Through the use of thermal storage, CSP systems are able to supply solar power on demand, helping to address grid integration challenges related to the variability of solar energy and enabling solar-generated heat to be stored until the electricity is needed. In addition to powering a turbine, CSP technology can also be used as heat in a variety of industrial applications such as water desalination, food processing, enhanced oil recovery, mineral processing, and chemical production.

Concentrated solar power energy is a carbon-free source of electricity and is best suited for regions and countries with strong radiation, such as Australia, the Southern United States, China, Southern Europe, South Africa, and the Middle East among others. As such, a high focus on renewable energy sources, especially solar, is significantly driving the demand for the concentrated solar power market worldwide, thus driving the global market growth. Countries are in a rush to meet their set targets regarding zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while increasing the share of renewable energy sources in total electricity generation. For instance, Spain has a target of 120 GW of installed renewable energy capacity, primarily solar and wind, by 2030 under its national integrated energy and climate plan (NECP 2021-30). Australia’s renewable energy target (RET), a federal government policy, aims to generate a minimum of 33,000 GW of the total electricity from renewable sources by 2020. Canada also has the target of raising the share of zero-emitting renewable sources to 90 percent by 2030, from approximately 80 percent in 2016. Saudi Arabia has also set a new target of achieving 58.7 GW of clean energy by 2030. Thus, all these set targets across various countries will continue to boost the market growth of concentrated solar power during the forecast period.

Another major factor that is fuelling the demand for concentrated solar power is the rapidly growing consumption of electricity worldwide. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), global electricity consumption continues to increase faster than the global population, leading to a rise in the average amount of electricity consumed per person, or per capita electricity consumption. Nearly all of this rise in electricity consumption is attributable to growing electricity consumption in developing economies outside the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development), which use electricity in buildings for lighting and appliances, in industrial processes for manufacturing goods, and in transportation for powering rail and light-duty vehicles. This continuous increase in per capita electricity consumption reflects the rapid shift to more energy-intensive industries coupled with changes in service demand, such as the growing usage of air conditioners and other electric appliances. Also, in the less developed non-OECD countries, per capita electricity growth has more than doubled between 2000 and 2017.

Supportive government policies and programs to ramp up the installation of concentrated solar power will continue to bolster the growth of this market during the next five years. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) provides funding through competitive awards to industry, universities, and national laboratories with the common goal of making large-scale dispatchable solar energy systems cost-competitive without any subsidy by 2020. MUSTEC (Market uptake of solar thermal electricity through cooperation), in light of EU 2030, aims to explore and propose solid solutions to overcome the barriers that hamper the arrangement of concentrating solar power (CSP) cooperation projects.

Although concentrated solar power accounts for only a fraction of the total green energy market, recent research suggests that smaller-scale design could help to revive interest in this sector. With this, there has been a rise in investments in the CSP market with companies engaged in various growth strategies which will eventually spur the concentrated solar power market growth. Credit Suisse Energy Infrastructure Partners completed the acquisition of a 49 percent stake in ContourGlobal's 250 MW of Spanish concentrated solar power (CSP) capacity in May 2019. In December 2019, Pacific Green Technologies Inc. acquired Shanghai Engin Digital Technology Co., Ltd. (ENGIN). The company is focused primarily on CSP, saltwater desalination, and waste-to-energy technologies. The company has developed, designed, and engineered three utility-scale CSP operating reference plants in China. In February 2020, Cubico Sustainable Investments (Cubico), announced the acquisition of Arenales Solar PS, S.L. the owner of a 50 MW operational CSP plant, from the Pan European Infrastructure Fund. With this acquisition, the leader and global investor in renewable energy’s portfolio in Iberia now comprise eight assets across Portugal and Spain, which include solar PV, CSP, and onshore wind technologies, accounting for a total capacity of 279 MW.

By type, power towers are the most popular variant

By type, the global concentrated solar power (CSP) market has been segmented into the parabolic trough (PT), solar tower (ST), solar dish (SD), and fresnel reflector (FR). The solar power towers segment holds a considerable share in the global concentrated solar power (CSP) market. Solar power towers make use of flat sun-tracking mirrors on a large field. These mirrors, called heliostats, reflect and concentrate sunlight onto a receiver on the top of a tower. The parabolic trough segment is projected to grow at a decent CAGR during the forecast period.

North America holds a significant share in the global concentrated solar power (CSP) market

By geography, the global concentrated solar power (CSP) market has been segmented into five major regional markets- North America, South America, Europe, Middle East and Africa (MEA), and Asia Pacific (APAC).

North America accounted for a substantial share of the global concentrated solar power market in 2019. Currently, approximately 1,815 MW of CSP plants are in operation in the United States. Europe also holds a noteworthy share in the global concentrated solar power (CSP) market, with booming investments in Spain. Furthermore, new tariff legislation, the growing need for storage, and proven plant performance have further boosted the investors’ confidence in Spanish Concentrated Solar Power ownership. In February 2020, Mitsubishi Corporation entered the concentrated solar power (CSP) market with its investments in four CSP power plants in Spain, held by Spanish solar power giant, Accionawith Mitsubishi Corporation owning 15 percent of its shares. The Asia-Pacific (APAC) regional concentrated solar power market is poised to grow at a substantial compound annual growth rate between 2020 and 2025 owing to the rising investments in renewable energy sources. Rapid installation of solar energy to increase the share of renewable energy generation in countries like India and China offers lucrative opportunities for CSP market players. More recently, attention has shifted to the Middle East and North America (MENA) region, where concentrated solar power (CSP) is of interest because, unlike solar photovoltaic (PV), the former can easily store thermal energy within massive tanks of molten salt for use even at night.

Key Developments

As a consequence of the rising need for clean energy and expanding electricity consumption in nations all over the world, the concentrated solar power sector has witnessed substantial growth.

In a study reported by the Journal of Energy Storage and Saving in February 2022, a research group led by Professor Ronggui Yang of China's Huazhong University of Science and Technology developed a strategy to reduce the cooling process's intensity. The researchers devised a cooling system that combined radiative cooling and cold storage. The quantity of water consumed per year has been demonstrated to reduce when utilized in conjunction with moist cooling. The team's auxiliary cooling system combined the finest features of both dry and wet cooling.

According to a release by Vast Solar in April 2022, it will construct a world-class concentrated solar power facility. The Australian government has given Vast Solar permission to establish a solar thermal reference project in Port Augusta, South Australia. Because of its outstanding solar resource, solid electrical infrastructure, and large and expanding local demand, Port Augusta was chosen as the site. The Australian Government committed to discussing with Vast Solar the conditions of concessional financing of up to $110 million to fund the development of a 20MW CSP project as part of the 2022-23 Budget process.

As noted by HEINEKEN in May 2022, with a new commitment to renewable energy, the HEINEKEN Spain family moves closer to its goal of being the first Spanish brewer with ZERO net emissions by 2025. ENGIE Spain, a global leader in low-carbon energy and services, will work with the brewer over the next 20 years to use a concentrated solar thermal solution to cut the plant's natural gas use by 60%.

The impact of COVID-19 on the global concentrated solar power (CSP) market

The recent global pandemic outbreak caused by COVID-19 has affected the growth of the concentrated solar power market. The demand side has been negatively impacted on account of nationwide lockdowns, which, in turn, has caused turmoil in the global economic growth, resulting in declining business spending and investments in new projects. On the supply side, global supply chain disruption along with falling productivity across manufacturing facilities due to mandatory social distancing measures has also reduced the production of concentrated solar power systems. On the demand side, solar installation has been hit hard by this pandemic with subsequent lockdown and declining business spending leading to the postponement of several solar projects.

Competitive Insights

Prominent key market players in the global concentrated solar power market include Abengoa, AccionaEnergía, S.A., BrightSource Energy, Inc., TORRESOL ENERGY INVESTMENTS, S.A., FRENELL GmbH, Siemens Energy, INITEC Energía, Eni S.p.A., SCHOTT North America, Inc., Pacific Green Technologies, and Aalborg CSP. These companies hold a noteworthy share of the market on account of their good brand image and product offerings. Major players in the global concentrated solar power market have been covered along with their relative competitive positions and strategies. The report also mentions recent deals and investments of different market players over the last two years.

Segmentation

By Type

• Parabolic Trough (PT)
• Solar Tower (ST)
• Solar Dish (SD)
• Fresnel Reflector (FR)

By End-User

• Commercial
• Industrial

By Geography

• North America
• United States
• Canada
• Mexico
• South America
• Brazil
• Argentina
• Europe
• Germany
• France
• UK
• Italy
• Middle East and Africa
• Saudi Arabia
• UAE
• Asia Pacific
• China
• India
• Japan
• South Korea
• Taiwan
• Thailand
• Indonesia