Advanced Energy Perspectives

Solar Thermal Electric (STE), often called concentrating solar power (CSP), uses mirrors or lenses to concentrate sunlight, generating temperatures high enough to produce steam and drive steam turbines. There are three configurations of STE systems in commercial use: power towers focus sunlight at a point, while parabolic troughs and Fresnel reflectors focus sunlight onto linear receiver tubes. Parabolic troughs and power towers are the most commonly used STE technologies today, and along with linear Fresnel configurations are deployed in large-scale projects that generally range in capacity from tens to hundreds of MW. STE plants can incorporate thermal energy storage, typically using molten salt, allowing them to generate electricity when it is needed even if the sun is not shining. A number of commercial and demonstration projects have also been built to integrate STE technology into natural gas and coal power plants, reducing the fuel inputs needed for the same energy output.

This post is one in a series of feature stories on trends shaping advanced energy markets in the U.S. and around the world, drawn from Advanced Energy Now 2016 Market Report, which was prepared for AEE by Navigant Research.

The intelligent building is a facility that leverages information technology to improve system performance for energy savings and operational improvements. The market launched about a decade ago with new software, building energy management systems (BEMS), designed to deliver energy efficiency improvements by translating more data into better information and explicit action. BEMS combat the challenge of using and maintaining complex and proprietary control and automation systems. These new software solutions utilize a wider array of data including utility bills, smart meter interval data, weather, and sensor signals to identify opportunities for energy efficiency and operational improvements. BEMS are technology agnostic, so regardless of any existing control and automation infrastructure, the software applications can direct energy cost savings. For example, BEMS can detect anomalies in heating system operations and then direct a reset of setpoints or schedules. The result is better use of heating systems, which drives down utility bills. The energy efficiency story is straightforward and quantifiable. Customers see declining utility bills aligned with the performance improvements in their building systems.