Dr. Tom Konrad, Ph.D. as been writing a great blog on energy efficiency and renewable energy. He posted the following blogs on power production.
Visual Comparisons of Electricity Generation Technologies
It is interesting to note that the first renewable generation technology (3rd overall after efficiency and gas) is concentrated solar power aka CSP. In your lowest emissions chart, CSP is also in the “best of show†category. The challenge for CSP will be to bring down the costs, essentially moving the dots over from a MWH standpoint.
| Technology | Scale | Levelized cost per MWh | Pros/Cons | Complexity/ deployment |
|
Concentrating PV |
Any |
$15-$20 |
No storage option; does not work well on cloudy days |
High. Beginning to be deployed in last couple years. |
|
Dish |
25 kW per dish |
Unknown |
High efficiency, modular. No thermal storage. |
Just beginning to be deploy |
|
Parabolic Trough |
Most: >50 MW for economies of scale; Organic Rankine Cycle 1MW+ |
$8-$18 current $6 potential Can hybridize with existing fossil plants. |
Storage, well understood technology, needs water for efficient cooling. |
Plants operating consistently for 30 years in CA. |
|
Solar Tower |
>30 MW |
$18+ current, $5 potential, can hybridize with existing fossil plants. |
Storage. Potentially cheaper than solar trough. Needs water for efficient cooling. |
2 pilot plants with operational history. First commercial plant now operational. |
|
Solar Chimney |
100-200MW |
Not yet known. |
Baseload power, low maintenance. |
Low complexity, great potential for 3rd world. |
In this piece, it is interesting to note that the lowest levelized cost is parabolic trough at $8-$18 with 30+ year consistent operations in California.