With the current technology available, concentrated solar thermal energy is seen as a viable solution for renewable and clean energy. Although this is seen as clean energy, there is little information available about the effects that solar power tower plants may have on the environment. The environmental effects of the manufacturing, construction, operation and maintenance of the system and its components need to be considered before this renewable energy technology can be claimed as environmental friendly. The entire life cycle, from cradle to grave, of the system must be considered to obtain reliable results that give a true reflection of the environmental impacts. This report, however, will only focus on one of the components of the solar power tower, namely the collector field, which consists out of heliostats. Other components of the system such as the storing of energy, generation of electricity, and processes such as the Brayton and Rankine cycle will not be discussed in this report.
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