A Thermo Economic Study of Storage Integration in Hybrid Solar Gas Turbine Power Plants

Abstract

A thermoeconomic simulation model of a hybrid solar gasturbine (HSGT) power plant with an integrated storage unit has been developed, allowing determination of the thermodynamic and economic performance. Designs were based around two representative industrial gasturbines: a high efficiency machine and a low temperature machine. In order to examine the tradeoffs that must be made, multiobjective thermoeconomic analysis was performed, with two conflicting objectives: minimum investment costs and minimum specific carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. It was shown that with the integration of storage, annual solar shares above 85% can be achieved by HSGT systems. The levelized electricity cost (LEC) for the gasturbine system as this level of solar integration was similar to that of parabolic trough plants, allowing them to compete directly in the solar power market. At the same time, the water consumption of the gasturbine system is significantly lower than contemporary steamcycle based solar thermal power plants.