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Direct steam generation for next-generation concentrated solar power: technologies, challenges, and future directions
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DOI：10.1007/s10973-026-16033-x.png)
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Abstract
En 中文
Direct steam generation (DSG) is a promising concentrated solar power (CSP) technology that offers higher thermal efficiency and simpler plant layouts by eliminating heat exchangers and intermediate heat-transfer fluids. Despite significant technological progress, it has not yet achieved widespread commercial maturity. This systematic review critically evaluates recent advances in DSG-based CSP systems across thermal–hydraulic behavior, receiver design, thermal energy storage (TES), hybrid integration, control strategies, and techno-economic feasibility. Key findings highlight the challenge of managing complex two-phase flow and transient solar input, demanding adaptive control frameworks and robust system design. Advances in absorber geometries, coatings, and passive heat-transfer enhancements show promise for mitigating non-uniform heat flux and thermal stress, though long-term durability under daily cycling remains underexplored. TES, particularly hybrid sensible and latent systems, is crucial for dispatchability but faces material and integration constraints. Hybridization with biomass or combined cycles improves flexibility and reliability but requires careful cost–benefit evaluation. Techno-economic studies indicate competitive levelized cost of electricity in high-DNI regions, depending on improvements in thermal reliability, component durability, and large-scale demonstrations. Overall, this review consolidates technological progress, identifies persistent knowledge gaps, and outlines research priorities to enable reliable, cost-effective, and low-carbon deployment of next-generation DSG-enabled CSP systems.
Keywords:
Direct steam generation (DSG)
Concentrated solar power (CSP)
Thermal energy storage (TES)
Two-phase flow dynamics
Hybrid solar systems
Journal
IF:
3.1
Papers:
1.8W
Citations:
3.2W
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Cited Papers