Concentrating Solar Power: its Potential Contribution to a Sustainable Energy Future

Concentrating solar power (CSP) sits alongside photovoltaic electricity generation as a commercially available renewable energy technology capable of harnessing the immense solar resource in Southern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa (the MENA region), and elsewhere. In CSP a high-temperature heat source is created by concentrating the sun's rays to produce electricity in a thermodynamic cycle. This study by the European Academies Science Advisory Council has examined the current status and development challenges of CSP, and consequently has evaluated the potential contribution of CSP in Europe and the MENA region to 2050, and identified actions that will be required to enable that contribution to be realised.

This new report summarises the findings of the study and is intended to inform policy-makers in the European institutions - in particular the European Commission and Parliament - and policy-makers at a national level in Europe and the MENA region.