EFFECTS OF COOLING TECHNOLOGIES AND SOLAR MULTIPLE ON CSP PLANTS PERFORMANCE

Abstract

Hot arid regions, usually with water scarcity, are more suitable for the operation of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants. Since CSP plant cooling processes rely on access to and planned use of water, CSP plant planning and installation process will largely depend on the availability of water. Therefore, the cooling technology to be employed in a CSP plant can be critical in the feasibility of the plant. For proper feasibility study of CSP plant operation, the effects of cooling technology on plant performance, water usage, and Levelised Cost of Electricity (LCOE) need to be understood prior to the plant’s implementation. In this study, the  effects  of  solar multiple and cooling  system on Solar Tower and Parabolic Trough CSP  plant  performance  was carried out using National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL’s) Solar Advisor Model (SAM) software using ambient weather conditions of Sokoto being one of the potential site for CSP in Northern Nigeria. The simulation results show that at solar multiple of 2, the levelised cost of electricity for both solar Tower and Parabolic Trough CSP technologies irrespective of the cooling system is the lowest. Irrespective of the CSP technologies, there is penalization of annual water usage and annual electrical generation when dry cooling technology is employed.