Environmental evaluation of dish-Stirling technology for power generation

Abstract Dish-Stirling technology for power generation (Stirling engine driven by renewable energy, such as solar) is a promising development in electricity generation. The efficiency value, approximately 30% of normal direct solar radiation converted to electricity ( Romero, 2010 ), is the highest among other solar energy generation systems. In the comparison against other solar energy exploitation alternatives, the environmental evaluation of the dish-Stirling technology must be taken into account. The aim of this paper is to provide a comparative environmental assessment of a dish-Stirling technology with respect to a similar photovoltaic facility. The Life Cycle Assessment procedure has been applied, and the results have been analysed in terms of CO2-equivalent emissions as well as using two impact evaluation methods: Eco-indicator 99 and CML2. The results show that the level of environmental impacts is similar for both technologies.

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