Dynamic simulation and techno-economic analysis of a concentrated solar power (CSP) plant hybridized with both thermal energy storage and natural gas.

The addition of thermal energy storage and natural gas as a complementary energy source improves the flexibility, reliability, and value of concentrated solar power (CSP) plants. Nevertheless, due to the transient nature of solar energy, transitions from solar-only mode and natural-gas mode to hybrid solar-natural gas mode is quite challenging, especially when the plant is equipped with thermal storage. Thus, it is important to develop proper dynamic modeling and control schemes to accurately simulate such transitions. The objective of this study is to address this subject by demonstrating a dynamic model with reliable control schemes for a highly integrated hybrid parabolic trough-natural gas plant equipped with thermal energy storage. The specific goal is to study the dynamics of adding thermal storage to the hybrid plant. It is found that the developed control schemes assist smooth transitions between different operational modes and effective utilization of thermal storage and natural gas to maintain steady power production and steam mass flow rates under different solar conditions. The results demonstrate that the integration of storage regulates power production by solar energy and natural gas during the day time. It also enables an increase in the solar fraction of the hybrid plant while it causes a small decrease in thermodynamic efficiency. The analysis shows that the hybrid plant with the storage has a substantially lower specific CO 2 emission (0.320 tonne/MWh) than single natural gas plant (0.413 tonne/MWh) although it has a higher levelized cost of electricity ($86.32/MWh against $74.92/MWh). The hybrid plant with storage demonstrates a promising potential for reliable and clean production of electricity, although research and development should be conducted to lower its cost. • A hybrid parabolic trough-natural gas plant with thermal storage is simulated. • A detailed dynamic model with reliable control schemes is developed. • The control schemes assist smooth transitions between different operational modes. • Thermal storage regulates power produced by solar and natural gas throughout days. • The hybrid plant shows promising potential for flexible and clean power production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]