Concentrating solar power in sustainable tourism

The world is becoming more aware everyday that not only resources are finite but also that the capability of natural systems to absorb societies' wastes and emissions may be even a more stringent limit. Meanwhile, many countries are attracting everyday more tourists, requiring more tourism developments which, in turn, increase the demand on those finite resources as well as the resulting emissions and wastes. It is essential for such countries to make wise technology choices. The objective of this paper is to explore the solar resort concept examining the use of solar energy and the possible application of concentrated solar power, CSP, systems in resorts located in the sun-belt region. A case study on the Maldives islands is taken as an example to demonstrate the technical and economical feasibility of CSP technology for a Sustainable touristic island solution. This paper is the result of a study carried out by a team from different organizations and led by the author as the project manager of this project.