Impianti solari termodinamici operanti con collettori parabolici lineari e fluidi gassosi ad alta temperatura - parte 2

This paper reports a performance assessment of advanced CSP power plants. The CSP system analyzed is based on parabolic troughs, CO2 heat transfer fluid and thermocline thermal storage systems. The results of the performance assessment show that the enhancement of the steam cycle efficiency overcomes the efficiency reduction of the solar field. The analysis carried out with reference to the solar radiation of Cagliari demonstrate that the annual efficiency of the CSP power plant decreases with increasing values of both solar multiple and thermal storage capacity. On the contrary, the annual net energy production solar increases with increasing values of these parameters. With reference to a solar multiple equal to 1.5 and a thermal storage capacity of 4-6 hours, the CSP efficiency ranges from 18% to 19%. Moreover, the annual energy production of a 50 MW CSP plant is around 140-150 GWh/yr (that is 3.000 hour/yr).