Technology position of concentrating solar technologies in Turkiye: A review on current status, applications, and prospects

Turkiye has considerable solar resources and technology capacity and thus is seeking ways to implement carbon-neutral energy policies and reduce import energy. After China, Turkiye has the world's second-largest installed nonconcentrating collector area. Since the last quarter, significant efforts have been made in Turkiye to implement concentrated solar technologies (CST), including the world's largest industrial solar energy cooling system and the first solar thermal trigeneration system, the first integrated renewables combined cycle, as well as more efficient two-axis tracking parabolic trough systems. This review highlights the overall status, developments, research trends, breakthroughs, technology deployment, challenges, and prospects of the commercial Turkish CST. It aims to present the historical development of CST and associated research activities conducted and ongoing in Turkiye, infrastructure of national organizations, a pathway for the alignment of national/global research and funding programs, and commercial-level contributions for the future progress of CST. It would also bridge the gap between the research and commercial deployment of CST and speed up the relevant transfer of knowledge so that researchers, institutions, companies, decision-makers, and other stakeholders in Turkiye and the world can gain a greater perspective. Although considerable efforts have been made in the Turkish CST context, similar to 10-MWt cumulative capacity is actively operated, of similar to 60% and similar to 32% led, respectively, by the parabolic trough and central tower receiver technologies.