Environmental evaluation of dish-Stirling technology for power generation

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.

► Review on environmental evaluation for renewable energy technologies is provided.
► LCA was carried out for a dish-Stirling facility and for a photovoltaic facility.
► Eco-indicator 99 and CML2 were used in the Life Cycle Assessment.
► Comparative results were independent of the impact evaluation method.
► Environmental impact of dish-Stirling and photovoltaic systems was similar.