Sustainability assessment of concentrated solar power (CSP) tower plants - integrating LCA, LCC and LCWE in one framework

Concentrated solar power (CSP) is an emerging technology for electricity production that uses solar energy and allows storing energy in the form of heat, which makes the energy also available at night. This work assesses the impact of concentrated solar power tower plants with molten salt as heat transfer fluid and storage medium, considering all three pillars of sustainability: environment, economy and society. The quantitative methods applied for each pillar are life cycle assessment (LCA), life cycle costing (LCC) and life cycle working environment (LCWE). All these methods are applied within the GaBits software and database system in a single and consistent model. The results show that a holistic quantitative sustainability assessment within a single framework is possible, as a first try, and further areas of research have been identified.