Overview and Comparison of Global Concentrating Solar Power Incentives Schemes by Means of Computational Models

Abstract

The present paper gives an updated picture of concentrating solar power incentives schemes in the World. It resumes the main figures of the incentives schemes per Country such as plant size limit, feed-in tariff value, duration, inflation recovery and the eligibility to hybrid plants.

It also gives a comparison of the incentives schemes in terms of revenues and profitability. The investment revenues have been calculated considering the values of the incentives and local radiation. The profitability has been computed, as internal rate of returns of the project (IRRs) considering the incentive value, the solar radiation and the incentive length per each Country and a fixed value of capital expenditure equal for all Countries.

It shows that South Africa and Spain grant the most profitable incentive schemes with IRRs of 28% and 25% respectively and that USA grant the lowest feed-in tariff, as benefit the highest solar radiation, and thus show the lowest profitability.