Application possibilities of solar thermal power plants in Arab countries

Many international studies and experience have shown that solar thermal power plants are the most economic form of the solar electricity generation. Since such plants are based on the concentration of the solar radiation to achieve high temperatures necessary for the thermo-dynamic power plant process, their application area is restricted to earth regions with high direct solar radiation. Arab countries are among such regions. The state of the art of solar thermal power plants is briefly presented and their application possibilities in Arab countries are discussed. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.