Concentrated Solar Power: Analysis of Economic Aspects in Brazil

The Concentrated Solar Power - CSP - has been used to generate electricity since 70s. However, on Brazil the technology is still under development, and even though there are not commercial power plants installed, many studies and some research projects are being developed to establish the feasibility of this technology. This paper presents a general analysis of CSP economic aspects influenced by its technical parameters, according to simulation of two most developed systems used worldwide: Parabolic Trough Collector - PTC and Heliostat Field Collector - HFC. The simulation considered five variables that influence the total cost of the plant and their sensibility according to CSP technologies. This study shows that Brazil has a great potential for the insertion of this technology in its electric matrix.