Thermoelectric solar energy. Technology and development

Abstract

• The European strategies on energy 
have been searching for years to 
reduce the dependency of Europe 
from fossil fuels. Underlying this 
effort, there exist geopolitical, 
economic, environmental reasons 
and the reality that oil reservoirs 
will dry out some day. Renewable 
energies have become a milestone 
of this strategy, now that their huge 
potential has emerged after years 
of uncertainty. One of the better 
developed renewable sources, which 
is nearer to commercial maturity is 
solar-thermal energy. In this paper, 
the current state of this technology 
will be described as well as the 
developments that may be expected 
in the short and mid terms. The 
reader will acquire a picture of the 
current state of the market, of the 
technical challenges already achieved 
and of the remaining ones, many of 
them, as will show, only enduring for 
months or a few years to come.