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Simulating the Energy, Economic and Environmental Performance of Concentrating Solar Power Technologies Using SAM: Libya as a Case Study
Abstract
According to the Libyan government's newly released strategic plan, renewable and environmentally friendly energy sources would provide 30% of the country's power by 2030. The goal of this research is to shed light on solar energy technologies that may be used to generate clean and sustainable electricity. An energy-economic-environmental study of five Concentration Solar Power (CSP) technologies (parabolic trough, solar dish, linear Fresnel reflector, solar tower, and concentrated PV solar cell) was conducted for 22 selected locations in Libya. The Levelized Cost Of Energy (LCOE) was chosen as a reference for identifying which technology would be most suited for each site. The economic estimates include the cost of environmental damage caused by carbon dioxide gas (CO2) emissions from fossil-fuel-powered power plants. This technique allows clean and renewable energy to compete fairly in the global energy market, even in countries that produce oil and subsidize electricity. According to the data, the solar mirror technology in Libya has the lowest LCOE of all the technologies evaluated in this study. The LCOE estimates varied from 0.01 to 0.04 dollars per kWh. The clean energy produced by the solar tower surpassed 100 MW, or about 400.332 GWh. Furthermore, the adoption of clean concentrating solar energy technology avoided the discharge of 4,235 tCO2/year/MWp.
... The average annual GHI concentration ranges from 5.6 to 6.7 kWh/m 2 , with higher values inland and lower values along the coast. PV installations in Libya have proven to be successful (Jenkins et al., 2019;Nassar et al., 2023b). The average daily DNI ranges from 4.2 to over 7.2 kWh/m 2 , with the highest values observed in the north-south region. ...
... The Global Water Storage Atlas (Stocks et al., 2020) identifies around 280 well sites in Libya with a total storage capacity of 50 TWh (Fig. 8). To provide some context, a developed economy typically requires one day of energy usage to offset 100% renewable energy .The variation in solar energy supply throughout the seasons in Libya is moderate, ranging from 75% of the average in winter to 125% in spring (Nassar et al., 2023b). This implies a need for substantial seasonal storage. ...
A radical transformation is occurring in the global energy system, with solar PV and wind energy contributing to three-quarters of new electricity generation capacity due to their affordability. This shift towards renewable electrification of energy services, such as transportation, heating, and industry, will gradually replace fossil fuels in the coming decades. This paper highlights Libya's potential to achieve energy self-sufficiency in the twenty-first century. In addition to its fossil energy resources, Libya possesses favourable conditions for solar, wind, and moderate hydroelectric energy. The solar energy potential alone is approximately 100 times greater than what is needed to support a fully solar-powered system that provides energy consumption similar to developed countries for all Libyan citizens, without relying on fossil fuels. Moreover, Libya's Green Mountain range offers substantial opportunities for low-cost pumped off-river hydropower storage. Therefore, the integration of solar and wind energy, complemented by hydropower and battery storage, is likely to be the primary pathway for the rapid growth of Libya's renewable electricity sector.
... A thorough understanding of renewable energy technologies, such as photovoltaic solar panels (PV), wind turbines (WT), and concentrated solar power (CSP), is critical for achieving the announced shift toward ecologically acceptable renewable energies, which will contribute to the decarbonization of the energy sector [48][49][50][51][52][53]. As a result, it is critical to underline the critical role that renewable energy may play in attaining long-term societal development, as [54], one on concentrated solar power [55,56] and one on wind energy [57], based on the researchers' knowledge. ...
Libya has a wide range of temperatures and topographies, making it a promising place to use wind and solar energy. This research evaluated many technologies available in the global market, including wind energy, concentrated solar power (CSP), and photovoltaic (PV) solar, with the goal of localizing the renewable
energy business. The aim was to optimize the advantages of employing locally accessible renewable resources while guaranteeing their suitability for the diverse climatic circumstances found throughout the nation. Twelve carefully chosen locations in Libya were used to assess the performance of 67 PV solar modules,
47 inverters, five different types of CPS, and 17 wind turbines using the System Advisor Model (SAM) dynamic simulation tool. The simulations employed 15-minute time series of climate data from the SolarGis platform for a 13-year timeframe (January 1, 2007–June 30, 2020). The standard used to determine which technology was best suited for each site was the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE). The findings showed that solar and wind energy (PV and CSP) could significantly meet the examined areas’ demand for electrical energy. In contrast to wind energy, which had an LCOE ranging from 1.5 to 5.9 ¢/kWh, PV solar technology had an LCOE between 5.2 and 6.4 ¢/kWh. On the other hand, systems utilizing concentrated solar energy
showed comparatively higher levels of life cycle costs; the heliostat field had the lowest, at 8.0 ¢/kWh. The research findings offer significant perspectives to engineers, planners, and decision-makers, enabling well informed choices on the advancement and funding of renewable energy initiatives in Libya. The analysis concludes that wind energy is the most economically advantageous investment choice in the Libyan energy market, in contrast to the industry’s predominate concentration on PV solar systems. Environmentally speaking, building a 1000 MW renewable power plant with a 40% capacity factor will reduce CO2 emissions by 3.82 million tons, saving $286.5 million in carbon taxes annually.
Solar energy has gained traction as an eco-friendly alternative to combat Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from fired-fossil fuel electrical power plants. One common application is converting solar energy into heat for water heating systems, often achieved through flat-plate solar heating collectors. The useful thermal energy of these collectors depends on factors like climate, design, and operational parameters. This study examines the effect of number of transparent covers (TCs) and the inlet water temperature on the performance of a liquid-flat plate solar collector (LFPSC) in Beida city, Libya, on July 21, 2020, with data collected at hourly intervals. Different scenarios were considered, varying the number of covers (ranging from 0 to 3) and the inlet water temperatures (ranging from 25°C to 50°C). The findings reveal that the optimal number of covers is influenced by multiple factors, not solely the prevailing climatic conditions. Inlet water temperature and the collector's length were identified as the most influential parameters affecting the overall performance of LFPSC. Consequently, the decision to employ a specific number of covers depends on the system's operating conditions. When the inlet water temperature matches the ambient temperature, a single cover suffices for optimal collector performance. However, if the inlet water temperature surpasses the ambient temperature, multiple covers are necessary to achieve the collector's peak efficiency. This research underscores the importance of considering various factors, beyond just climate, when designing and operating solar collectors for efficient water heating systems.
Wastewater treatment plants that are located in high places can provide opportunities for generating sustainable energy, by installing hydroturbines at inlet and exit pipes of wastewater treatment plants, as well as exploiting the sludge resulting from the treatment process as a source for generating biogas, which can be used to generate electric power. Then the treated water is used to irrigate ornamental trees in the roads, gardens and forests, as well as the residues of the fermentation process are used as organic fertilizer and to improve the quality of agricultural soil. In this research, a hybrid system consisting of a hydroelectric station and an electric generator working on biogas was proposed at the wastewater treatment plant in Gharyan. This is because the city is distinguished by its high location, about 713 m above sea level. The obtained results showed that the proposed hybrid renewable energy system will provide the wastewater treatment plant an electric power of 490 kW, which is sufficient to cover 87.5% of the plant's electrical energy consumption.
By analyzing a wide range of energy, economic, and environmental variables for a variety of attractive locations in Libya, the study established the fundamentals of localizing the wind energy business in Libya. The estimate of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission factor resulting from the conversion of wind energy into electric energy also includes the quantity of GHG emissions from cement manufacturing and transportation, as well as manufacturing (for various wind turbine manufacturers), sea transportation of wind energy equipment from the site of manufacture to the port of Tripoli, land transportation to the location of the wind energy farm, and calculating the energy and emissions used for recycling recyclable materials and for transportation. Hourly climate data over a 25-year period (1995-2020) were gathered from the SolarGis climate information portal. For many viable wind energy production locations in Libya, the System Advisor Model (SAM) software was used to calculate the productivity of wind farms with a 100 MW capacity. The study's findings showed that the Gamesa turbine, whose capital cost was around (146,916,400 dollars), had the best economic and environmental indices. The GHG emission rates for all the cities that were targeted ranged from 24-63g GHG/kWh. The time needed for carbon to recover ranged from 5.5 to 14.5 months. The expected energy payback time was 14 to 22 months. An LCOE's production costs ranged from 4.8 to 11.1 cents per kWh.
In this study, the carbon dioxide CO2 emission factor for the energy industry sector, which includes the oil and refining industry sector, was estimated by tracing the energy path in its primary form from the AlSharara and Hamada fields to AlZawia Refinery Company to the south of Tripoli power station for generating the electrical power until it reaches the final consumer through the transmission and distribution networks of electric power (electricity consuming sectors). The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology adopted in this research, which can also apply in all sectors that consume thermal energy such as sectors of transportation and industrial, due to their similarity to all sectors in the first and second stages, and they differ only in the final stage. The research also aims to estimate and collect the quantities of carbon dioxide emitted from the primary energy flow path, from the oil field (upstream) that feeds the oil refinery (downstream), which feeds the power station (infrastructure). The results of the mathematical analysis of data for the energy industry sector showed that to generate 1 megawatt-hour of electricity, 291 kg of diesel oil must be burned, and to obtain this amount of diesel, 1,141 kg of crude oil must be refined. The emitted CO2 chart for this entire pathway was drawn up, where it was found that the total CO2 emitted was around 1253 kg CO2 per MWh. The share of the oil sector from the emitted CO2 was 6.4%, whereas the share of the electricity sector was 93.6%
By analyzing a wide range of energy, economic, and environmental variables for a variety of attractive locations in Libya, the study established the fundamentals of localizing the wind energy business in Libya. The estimate of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission factor resulting from the conversion of wind energy into electric energy also includes the quantity of GHG emissions from cement manufacturing and transportation, as well as manufacturing (for various wind turbine manufacturers) sea transportation of wind energy equipment from the site of manufacture to the port of Tripoli, land transportation to the location of the wind energy farm, and calculating the energy and emissions used for recycling recyclable materials and for transportation. Hourly climate data over a 25-year period (1995-2020) were gathered from the SolarGis climate information portal. ARTICALE INFO. KEYWORDS Wind energy, Life cycle assessment, Environmental impact, GHG emission factor, Libya. For many viable wind energy production locations in Libya, the System Advisor Model (SAM) software was used to calculate the productivity of wind farms with a 100 MW capacity. The study's findings showed that the Gamesa turbine, whose capital cost was around (146,916,400 dollars), had the best economic and environmental indices. The GHG emission rates for all the cities that were targeted ranged from 24-63g GHG/kWh. The time needed for carbon to recover ranged from 5.5 to 14.5 months. The expected energy payback time was 14 to 22 months. An LCOE's production costs ranged from 4.8 to 11.1 cents per kWh.
Concentrated solar power (CSP) is viewed as one of the most promising alternatives in the field of solar energy utilization; parabolic trough collector (PTC) solar power plants are the most commercially established among the power plants operating with CSP technology. In this paper, a parabolic trough solar thermal power plant with thermal energy storage was evaluated in terms of design and thermal performance, using the SAM program of NREL (System Advisor Model). This program is used to evaluate the active and economic performance of a plant such as monthly energy production, annual energy production, and level cost of energy (LCOE).one representative site in south Libya, Sebha city, which offers an annual average direct normal radiation (DNI) of more than 6.0 kWh/m2/day, has been chosen for the analysis and optimization of the proposed 100 MWe PTC Solar power plant. The optimization is carried out with solar multiple (SM) and full load hours of thermal energy storage TES as the parameters, to minimize the Levelized cost of electricity and maximize the annual energy yield. Based on the findings of the study, the proposed 100 MW PTC solar power plant with thermal energy storage can contribute to the sustainable energy future of Libya with reduced dependency on fossil fuels. This design and performance analysis of the plant encourages further development and innovation of solar thermal power plants in all regions of Libya.
Scientific studies have recently focused on using the best modern methods and technologies to produce electrical energy from concentrating solar plants. In this study, a concentrating solar plant was designed using the Linear Fresnel Reflector technology using the System Advisor Model (SAM). Three types of high-performance heat transfer fluids were used (Hitec Solar salt - Hitec XL - Hitec). A comparison was made between them in terms of the out solar field's outlet temperature and the solar field's efficiency so, a comparison was made in terms of the effect on the Annual Energy, Capacity Factor and, Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE), all of this was based on changing the solar multiple (SM) and Thermal Energy Storage (TES). The results showed a significant similarity between the heat transfer fluids used in this study, although their physical properties differed.
Parabolic Trough collector assembly is made with an automatic sun-tracking system, to get the solar angle of incidence between the beam of solar radiation and the normal on the surface of the trough equal to zero. This study aims to present the best sun-tracking system for parabolic trough solar collectors operated in Sebha city. Five orientations have been selected for the Parabolic trough collector. In first orientation the axis was horizontal east-west and moving once on a single axis, in Second the axis was horizontal east-west and moving continuously on a single axis, in Third the axis was horizontal north south moving continuously on a single axis, in Fourth the axis was north-south and parallel to the earth's axis. Fifth, the axis was north-south and moving on two axes. The results of the work serve as an information basis for future research on parabolic trough collectors that will operate in Sabha city, which showed that the First, second and Fourth orientation, was collected solar radiation values are acceptable in some applications. Although the Third (especially in summer) and Fifth orientations are collecting the largest amount of direct solar radiation, the cost these systems are very expensive.
Solar energy is one of the most promising renewable energy options in Libya. The electrical yield of the solar PV panel is very sensitive to the cell's temperature. As Libya is a vast and with different terrains, weather parameters such as: temperature, wind, rain and humidity vary significantly across the country. Therefore, this variation must be considered when assessing the feasibility of the PV solar systems, taking into consideration the selection of the appropriate PV technology in terms of the electrical characteristics, and not generalizing the results of a specific region to the whole country. The present work aims to determine the kinds of solar PV module technologies that are suitable for the climatic conditions of each region of Libya identified on the map. Due to the lack of weather data, the research utilized the data provided by Solargis Database Company in analyzing the performance of PV solar field. In this regard, economic parameters of three different kinds of PV solar modules were simulated under real weather conditions of several sites using System Advisor Model software (SAM) simulation tool developed by the NREL-USA. It is successfully determined the most suitable kind of PV solar module for each zone across the Libyan territory. The obtained results can be implemented in the preliminary design steps, especially in the selection of the kind of PV solar modules to be installed in a particular location, where a difference in the Levelized Cost Of Energy (LCOE) values up to 45% was remarked between several types of PV solar modules for the same location.
This work is motivated by the need in overcoming the electricity crisis in Gaza, which is initiated due to political reasons and the spread of COVID‐19. Building quarantine centers is one of the most important means used in combating the COVID‐19, but connecting these centers to the electricity distribution network at the appropriate time is not always possible and increases the burden on the local utility company. This article proposed a hybrid off‐grid energy system (HES) to effectively energize the quarantine COVID‐19 center in Gaza economically and environmentally. To achieve this aim, the estimated load profile of the quarantine center is fed to the HOMER‐Pro program. In addition, the various systems components are introduced to the program, then modeled, and optimized. The developed approach was tested using a real case study considering realistic input data. HOMER‐Pro program is used to simulate and optimize the system design. The results revealed the potential of the HES to provide environment‐friendly, cost‐effective, and affordable electricity for the studied quarantine center, as compared to just the diesel generators system. For the considered case study, it is found that the PV‐wind‐diesel generators HES can cover the connected load with the lowest cost ($ 0.348/kWh) in comparison to other possible HES structures. Taking into consideration the price of harmful emissions, the wining system shows a reduction of 54.89% of the cost of energy (CoE) compared to other systems. For the considered case study, it is found that a combination of 150 kW PV, 200 kW wind, and two diesel generators with capacities of 500 and 250 kW can hold 100% of the electrical load required to keep the quarantine COVID‐19 center in operation. The initial capital cost of this HES is $510,576 where the share of wind energy, solar PV, inverter, and diesel‐electric generators are $320,000, $83,076, $25,000, and $82,500, respectively. The replacemen cost ($55,918) is due to diesel generators. The total operation and maintainance cost (O&M) is $268,737, that is, 25.6% for wind turbines, 1.2% for inverters, and 70.7% for diesel electric generators. The PV/wind/diesel generators HES generate 1,659,038 kWh of electricity. The total energy requirement of 1,442,553 kWh, which means a surplus of 212,553 kWh of energy/year. The total energy (kWh) is an integration of energy sources which are 427,276 (25.8%), 274,500 (16.5%), and 857,263 (57.7%), due to wind, solar and diesel generators respectively. The cost of yearly consumed fuel is $437,828.769. The payback period for the winning system is 1.8 years. Finally, it is proved that the developed approach gives a reasonable solution to the decision‐makers to find a fast, economic and reliable solution to energize the quarantine centers.
This research proposes a hybrid system consisting of a parabolic trough solar field coupled with a waste incineration facility to produce power and desalinated water in Jordan. To predict the performance of the proposed system, EBSILON Professional (13.02) was used to simulate the entire system and for a more realistic simulation process, a prime sample of 100 tons of municipal waste from Jordan was obtained, processed, and homogenised, after which 4 kg was brought to Germany for laboratory analysis. The laboratory results were inserted into EBSILON. Solar radiation data were adapted from meteonorms and input to EBSILON. Heat transfer between the receiver wall and the heat transfer fluid was analysed to calculate the time required to increase the temperature of the Heat Transfer Fluid from the influent temperature to the desired effluent temperature. The results show that this system can produce 34 MWe of power and 13,824 m³/d of distilled water. On the 1st January, the temperature of the heat transfer fluid in the solar field was increased by 6 °C for 20 min in an open cycle. After 5h, it reached 390 °C in a closed cycle, assuming a fixed direct normal irradiance. Economically, five scenarios were analysed to assess the impact of the cost of heat harvested to produce this amount of water on the annual cost of handling each ton of garbage which was approximately 57 US$ in the first year of operation and 19.5 US$ in the 15th year of plant operation (for the scenario in which the tariff of power sales was considered to evaluate the cost of heat for water desalination).
The investment in renewable energies like solar power became a priority in order to protect the world from an environmental crisis caused by greenhouse gas emissions. Over the past few decades, human activities like burning fossil fuels for energy have increased greenhouse emissions to an unprecedented level which warn to increase the global average temperature up to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels. Such increase in global temperature would cause massive environmental damage and affect people’s lives. Currently, around 65% of the total CO2 emissions are related to fossil fuel burning activities, thus it is necessary to find alternative sources of energy that are environmentally friendly. Renewable energy like solar power is considered one of the most reliable sources of energy as it covers a wide range of the earth’s surface and is constantly available. Several research studies focused on concentrated solar power (CSP) which revealed its high performance in producing electric power. Thus, this paper aims to study the feasibility of constructing a100 MW CSP Linear Fresnel solar power in Riyadh city to support meeting the energy demand in Saudi Arabia and reduce the dependence on fossil fuels. In this study, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) System Advisor Model (SAM) was used to design, simulate, and analyze the system. The system was designed based on CSP LF technology, and it was tested with two types of thermal fluid namely molten salt and liquid sodium to examine the potential of each fluid to generate competitive energy at a lower cost. The thermal fluids serve as heat transfer fluids (HTF) and thermal energy storage (TES), where TES supplies the power cycle with needed energy during sunset time. The system simulation shows the capability to produce enough solar power throughout the year. The model achieved a high level of energy production with a capacity factor exceeding 90% during summer for both operating fluids. It was also found that liquid sodium yields higher energy as compared to molten salt with a capacity factor exceeding 0.5–1.2%. During the summertime, it was shown that Saudi Arabia has a high potential to adopt the CSP LF technology to produce sustainable solar power.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is making significant progress in improving its economy by attracting tourists and trade. In the short run, however, economic activity will continue to be more based on oil, natural gas, and related industries. Rising demand for natural gas for power plants and industrial users, such as petrochemicals and steelmakers, has made the UAE a net gas importer, prompting the country to launch multibillion-dollar investments in nuclear and renewable energy. This study addresses the trend of solar energy production and consumption in the UAE. The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis was performed on the different types of solar energy in the UAE, and some strategies were developed based on it. The SWOT analysis reveals promising strategies for the UAE’s solar energy transition that would reduce fossil fuel demand, mitigate greenhouse gas emissions through solar energy production, and transform the UAE into the carbon market centre of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
The research team performed a detailed bottom-up manufacturing cost estimate for two heliostat designs: (1) a commercial design, the Stellio and (2) an advanced/developing heliostat design, the SunRing. The SunRing is designed and developed by Solar Dynamics of the United States, and the Stellio is developed primarily by Schlaich Bergermann und Partner (sbp) sonne GmbH. The Stellio heliostat has been deployed at commercial scale and is being used at the 50-megawatt electric (MWe) Hami Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) power tower plant in China. For both designs, the bottom-up manufacturing cost estimates included all components for manufacturing and assembly in a manufacturing facility (e.g., struts and frame) using Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA) software, and the purchased parts (e.g., mirrors, control systems, and drives). The field-assembly and construction activities were also considered to determine the installed cost of the modeled solar fields.
Sudan is a sunbelt country that has abundant solar resources and large wasteland areas, especially in the northern and western portions. Concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies are proven renewable energy (RE) systems to generate electricity in neighboring countries from solar radiation and have the potential to become cost-effective in the future. Most of the attention is given to solar photovoltaic (PV) systems; no thorough techno-economic study has been carried out to evaluate the potential for CSP technologies in Sudan. The main aim of this paper is to encourage Sudan's authorities to pursue CSP technologies and overcome the associated challenges. The study used techno-economic analysis for two of the most mature CSP technologies – solar power tower (SPT) and parabolic trough (PT) technology – to produce electricity in Sudan. Two commercial CSP plants, namely GEMASOLAR and ANDASOL-1, have been “hypothetically” relocated in six Sudanese zones using the system advisor model (SAM). These zones were scrutinized based on a rigorous technical CSP site assessment study. The results indicate that the nominated zones outperformed the original Spanish plants in terms of energy outputs, capacity factors (CF), and levelized cost of energy (LCOE). The Northern state has two zones near Wadi-Halfa that are most suitable for installing CSP systems, with the SPT system offering better outcomes than the PT. This study proposes a 5 MWe SPT pilot plant with optimum specifications, enabling decision-makers to take further actions. It also recommends some actions to promote this sector and meet the 2030 and 2050 RE targets.
The need to meet the world's growing demand for energy in an environmentally sustainable manner has led to the exploration of various renewable energy (RE) resources for power generation. The objective of this study is to examine the techno-economic potential of concentrated solar power plants (i.e., linear Fresnel reflector (LFR) and central receiver system (CRS) for electricity generation in Eastern African countries with a case study on Ethiopia. The study was conducted using the System Advisor Model (SAM). In order to estimate the economics of the two power plants, the Levelized cost of energy (LCOE) and the net present value (NPV) metrics were used. According to results obtained from the simulations, the LFR produced annual energy of 528 TWh at a capacity factor (CF) of 60.3%. The CRS also produced a total of 540 TWh at a CF of 61.9%. The LCOE (real) for the CRS is found to be 9.44 cent/kWh against 10.35 cent/kWh for the LFR. The NPV for both technologies is found to be positive for inflation rates of 2% and below. An inflation rate above 2% renders the two power plants financially impracticable. A real discount rate above 9% also renders both projects economically unviable. Based on the obtained results, the CRS system is identified as the best technology for electricity generation under the Jijiga climatic condition in Ethiopia.
Ths paper aims to conduct modeling and simulation of a Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Plant in Ber’Alganam area (Azzawia-Libya). Th thermal analysis of the solar power plant was carried out to identify its characteristics and present the monthly power curves according to measured solar radiation and meteorological data of Ber’Alganam (Azzawia-Libya). Th mathematical model of the plant was based on energy balance of each component used to develop the simulation tool using Matlab softare. Th simulation tool can be used to simulate the solar plant and achieve desired plots and results. Among many techniques used in the fild of solar power generation, the Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) technology using Parabolic Trough Collector (PTC) or (PT) has been selected. As a sample case, a 30 MW CSP plant was proposed to present the hourly performance and productivity through entire year. Th study offred a description of two more technologies; thermal energy storage (TES) and backup boiler in order to enhance and stabilize the CSP plant and the continuous production throughout daytime and estimate the amount of fuel needed for this issue, the results shows, the annual power output by both solar source, TES system, and the backup boiler are 91513, 318.36, and 4690.45 MWh/year, respectively, with respect the solar multiplier is 1.5. The study also concerned with the amount of emissions avoided by using CSP plants, the study estimated that, 18516.4 tons of emissions could be annually avoided by CSP plant rather than conventional plant that uses a natural gas as the energy source. Th results demonstrate that, the Ber’Alganam is a good location to construct CSP plants,according to the productivity indicators.
Isolated renewable energy sources (RESs) could be competitive as a reliable and robust electrical energy supply for remote and rural territories. An efficient energy storage system is required to guarantee the continuity of the supply from isolated RESs. This article advises a reliable and robust off-line hybrid RESs endowed with pumped hydro storage (PHS) to satisfy the electrical energy needs of a coastal city in Egypt, Hurghada (33º 48ʹE, 27º 15ʹN). The sizing procedure of the PHS-integrated hybrid Wind/Strilling dish system is investigated via using System Advisory Model (SAM) software. The minimal value of the Levelized Cost Of Energy (LCOE) is used to determine the proposed system optimal configuration. Data of solar irradiance components, temperature, wind speed, direction, and load are inputs for the sizing procedure. The outcomes demonstrate that combining RESs and PHS is beneficial and trustworthy for offering sustainable electricity to metropolitan areas with suitable topographical features.
This study presents an analysis of the current electricity supply grid in Qatar and investigates the potential of integrating various renewable energy sources (RES) into the grid. The hourly demand profile for electricity, cooling, and freshwater is used to investigate the impact of wind turbines, photovoltaics, and concentrated solar power integration on the environmental emissions and total annual cost of the systems. A one-year dynamic analysis based on an hourly time step is conducted using the EnergyPLAN tool. The results show that large-scale installations of renewable energy technologies can decrease the emission rate from electricity production at a relatively lower cost. A reference case scenario representing the current state of affairs along with six other cases representing various single and hybrid renewable energy combinations for integration into the electricity supply is presented in terms of their ability to avoid excess electricity production. The eighth case scenario presents a hypothetical electricity demand for the year 2025. The results show that increasing the share of RES in electricity production is possible by as much as 80%. The optimum cases for the deployment of wind, photovoltaic (PV), and concentrated solar power (CSP) with storage technologies presented a 28.3%, 23.4%, and 38.2% share to electricity produced, respectively. The market economic simulation shows that the total annual cost for some of the scenarios that integrated renewable energy was lower than that of the reference case currently deployed in the country.
This study aims to build a potential map for the installation of a central receiver concentrated solar power plant in Chile under the terms of the average net present cost of electricity generation during its lifetime. This is also called the levelized cost of electricity, which is a function of electricity production, capital costs, operational costs and financial parameters. The electricity production, capital and operational costs were defined as a function of the location through the Chilean territory. Solar resources and atmospheric conditions for each site were determined. A 130 MWe concentrated solar power plant was modeled to estimate annual electricity production for each site. The capital and operational costs were identified as a function of location. The electricity supplied by the power plant was tested, quantifying the potential of the solar resources, as well as technical and economic variables. The results reveal areas with great potential for the development of large-scale central receiver concentrated solar power plants, therefore accomplishing a low levelized cost of energy. The best zone is located among the Arica and Parinacota region and the northern part of the Coquimbo region, which shows an average cost of 89 USD/MWh, with a minimum of 76 USD/MWh near Copiapó.
The growing demand for energy and fossil fuels creates increased number of difficulties, while renewable energy sources are still rarely used worldwide, particularly in Vietnam. In this article hybrid thermal power plants based on gas turbine plants are discussed, the increased efficiency of which is achieved by air heating after the compressor in solar air heaters. The basic design equations and the results of evaluating the efficiency and fuel consumption are presented for two thermal power plants of 4.6 MW and 11.8 MW. The dependence of the results on the intensity of solar extraction for the climatic conditions of the Ninh Thuan province of the Republic of Vietnam is discussed.
A move toward renewable energy sources has become a global trend due to the economic and the environmental inconveniences of fossil fuels. Solar energy receives a great share of research focus owing to its availability and eco-friendly characteristics. Different approaches are advised and implemented for converting solar energy into electricity. Photovoltaic (PV) and concentrated solar power (CSP) systems are the most promising technologies in this field. PV is simply direct conversion of solar energy into electricity. It gains the advantages of size/power versatility. Meanwhile, CSP converts solar energy to electricity indirectly via thermal energy. This article introduces a comprehensive comparison between PV and CSP types regarding technical and economic feasibility of utility-scale solar power plants. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is taken as a case study. The different types of either CSP or PV have been tested under hourly climatic data of 10 locations throughout the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by using system advisor model software from National Renewable Energy Laboratory in order to identify the appropriate type of these systems to Saudi Arabia. The article produces fairly accurate forecasting for utility-scale solar energy market in Saudi Arabia. Several significant conclusions are presented that could act as reference for solar energy projects. For example, solar PV and parabolic trough are preferred candidates in Saudi energy market due to the lowest levelized cost of electricity. The minimum cost of electricity was found to be 0.06$US/kWh that was generated by solar trough technology in the Solar Village site.
This report updates the baseline cost for parabolic trough solar fields in the United States within NREL’s System Advisor Model (SAM). SAM, which is available at no cost at
https://sam.nrel.gov/, is a performance and financial model designed to facilitate decision making for people involved in the renewable energy industry. SAM is the primary tool used by NREL and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for estimating the performance and cost of concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies and projects.
The research team performed a bottom-up build and cost estimate for two state-of-the-art
parabolic trough designs—the SkyTrough and the Ultimate Trough. The assumed solar field area in both cases was about 1.1 million square meters—the equivalent of a large CSP plant. The SkyTrough analysis estimated the potential installed cost for the solar field at $170/m2. The investigation found that SkyTrough installed costs were sensitive to factors such as aluminum alloy cost and production volume. For example, in the case of the SkyTrough the installed cost would rise to nearly $210/m2 if the aluminum alloy cost was $1.70/lb instead of $1.03/lb. Accordingly, one must be aware of fluctuations in the relevant commodities markets to track system cost over time. SkyTrough uses a reflective polymer film sold under the name ReflecTech PLUS.
Other non-solar-field costs within SAM were updated by indexing for inflation. Changing these values in SAM’s current default Physical Trough Model leads to a change in the estimated real levelized PPA price from 14.9 ¢/kWh to 13.9 ¢/kWh. Note that the SAM default case includes a 30% investment tax credit (ITC).
The rapid increase in energy demand and the limited resources of fossil fuel as well as the environmentally damaging effects, drive the world to find new options for sustainable electricity generation, which is represented by renewable energies. Concentrating solar power (CSP) is one of the most promising technologies in the field of electricity generation to tackle this issue with a competitive cost in the future. This paper presents an investigation of the potential of implementation of CSP plants in Libya. The socio-economic context, current energy situation of the country and different types of CSP plants are discussed. Moreover, an assessment of site parameters required for CSP plants including solar resources, land use and topography, water resources and grid connections are investigated in detail. In addition, thermo-economic simulation of a 50MW parabolic trough power plant is performed. The simulation is conducted based on meteorological data measured by the weather station installed at the Centre for Solar Energy Research and Studies (CSERS) in Tajoura city. The performance results are compared with the reference plant Andasol-1 in Spain. Even though the proposed plant is located on
the North coast where solar resources are at their minimum compared with other regions of the country, the outcome of the study proves that Libya is not only suitable but it can be economically competitive in the implementation of CSP technology.
This study aims to identify the quantities of hazardous gases emitted from different sources of air pollution in Libya, attempting to meet the lack of information, to provide the decision makers with the information and guidelines related to the environmental situation of the country, to fulfill the role assigned to us to mitigate the global warming and to put the polices and strategies of the development in line world policies direction. This study presents a frame work for any steps addressing air pollution abatement. The present research shows that the annual total air emissions is about 61.1 million tonnes. The largest share of emissions was for carbon dioxide CO2 (96.76%), followed by carbon monoxide CO (2.13%), then particulate matters PM (0.55%), then sulfuric dioxide SO2 (0.21%), nitrogen oxides NOX (0.18%), then methane gas CH4 (0.089%), voltaic organism component VOC (0.061%) and in the last ranking was nitrous oxide N2O with (0.028%). The annual total equivalent carbon dioxide is around 64.6 million tonnes eCO2, which represents about 9.7 ton/year/capita. Accordingly, Libya is ranking 53 from 225 in the list of countries by emissions of carbon dioxide with a contribution up to 0.22% and ranking 41 from 225 in the list of countries by emissions of carbon dioxide per capita. The present research reveals that most pollutants are emitted from the electricity industry with share of 33.9% followed by the transportation sector with 30.7% then the residential and commercial sector with 14.2% then the cement manufacturing industry with 10.9%. It was possible to mitigate these emissions by using the market available capture technologies. But unfortunately, they did not, which led to the excessive of harmful emissions to humans and the already fragile environment. Estimation of quantities of pollutants in units of mass of pollutant per unit mass of manufacturing product or fuel consumption, is necessary in order to figure out the socio-economic effect of the environment damage and to estimate the carbon price or tax of the industrial activities, similar to the countries which preceded us in this field. There is no work considered this topic in Libya and most of the little available works are in the measurements field, which measured the concentrations of the pollutants for comparison purposes with international standards and it is not possible to find out the quantities of emissions, due to the lack of data in these reports (such as productivity, fuel consumption, fluent gas flows through the chimneys, etc...), which makes these measurements in their present figures useless economically. This presents the novelty of this work. The present paper paved the way for more detailed survey on the air pollution sources and to draw the strategies for mitigation in Libya.
The study aims to study the potential of concentrating solar power (CSP) plants with parabolic trough technology of becoming a viable alternative energy producing system in Libya. Energetic and economic analyses are carried out for a particular type of CSP plants and the investigation is concentrated on a 50MW e parabolic-trough plant. Taking into consideration the Libyan territory, the Tripoli region is selected as the specific location of the CSP plant based on its high solar irradiation, consumer proximity and density, and condenser cooling water availability. In the Tripoli region prevails a large-scale Mediterranean climate, where the average annual levels of irradiation are very favorable to practical applications. In addition, the maximum and minimum annual solar days at noon hour for the CSP plant location, as indicated by the present study, are very appealing. Moreover, the annual analysis on an hourly basis also indicates very good potential. The paper presents a brief review of the current cost of energy and the potential for reducing the cost of energy from parabolic trough solar power plant technology. The main technological finding of the present study for the CSP selected is its higher performance and lower levelized cost of electricity (LCE) as compared to a similar plant in Southern Europe.
Many countries utilize solar energy to generate electrical power directly by means of photovoltaic cell (PV). In the same time, many of them considered the concentrating solar thermal technique as a source of heat to operate the power generation units. These are the two types of solar power generation. This paper will answer the question, which is the appropriate one for our climate condition? The paper will give the answer during a comparison between the two technologies, providing a short description of how and where they are working, areas of operation and cost – considerations, availing from the other international experiences. 1. Introduction All over the world, electricity remains to be a vital component of national development. Electrical energy is easy to transport and convert to other forms of energy, and available at the flick of a switch, it has kept its place as the main source of energy in commercial and residential applications and in many industrial and transportation applications. It accounts for about 40% of the total global energy consumption, and is considered to be a good indicator of economic progress. There are increasing challenges facing people throughout the world to secure a reliable, safe and sustainable energy supply to meet their needs. In developing countries, the demand for commercial energy is growing quickly. These countries are faced with substantial financial, environmental and energy security problems. In both developed and less developed countries pressure is growing to find workable alternatives to traditional energy supplies and to improve the efficiency of energy use in an attempt to limit emissions of gases that cause environmental damage locally and globally. Developments around the world, however, may soon produce the most dramatic changes in the world energy economy in a century. The implementation of renewable energy systems, make a major contribution to finding solutions to these challenges through stimulating the early implementation of economically viable sustainable energy technologies. 2. Principles The sun presents the main and safe source of energy on the earth. As we know the energy produced by fossil fuels causes environmental pollution and contamination, furthermore, the risk of there depletion in the near future. Electrical energy -due to there characteristics -is the most favorable, and it is easy to convey and convert it to other forms of energy. The electrical power can be extracted from solar energy directly with PV cells and indirectly by means of solar thermal generation. Solar thermal and PV electricity generation are two promising technologies for climate compatible power, witch have such an enormous potential, that theoretically they could cover much more than just the present worldwide demand for electricity consumption. Both technologies provide an important contribution to climate protection.
This study is relevant to the efforts being made to support the Libyan state achieve its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions since Libya is one of the countries that ratified the Paris Agreement of 2015 and participated in the COP27 conference. Therefore, this research aims to estimate the amounts of CO2 emitted from Libyan power industry sector. The results presented in this research is based on real measured data that had been collected over long periods of time series by monitoring and control systems of the considered power plants. Thus, the presented here CO2 emission factors on different basis can be considered as an indicator to the environmental situation of the power industry sector of Libyan State. The methodology used in this study can be adopted to estimate other air pollutions emission factors in the power sector or even in other sectors. The
results were also compared with emission inventories published by environmental agencies such as IPCC, EAA, EAI, and EEM, as well as the standards set by UNFCCC. This research sounds the alarm that the current environmental situation of the stations is much worse than all expectations, and therefore scientists and decision-makers must take immediate measures to reduce pollution in this sector.
The present study presents a regression function for optimum tilt angle for fixed mode flat-plate solar harvesters suitable for different locations in Libya, sky conditions and albedo values. The research based on 14 years -15 minutes time series solar irradiation components which provided by Solargis database platform for 24 different locations in Libya, based on the contract signed between the Solargis Company and Wadi AlShatti University. Several transposition models are applied - corresponding to each location - for estimating the tilted global solar irradiance components according to recommendation of a local recent study. The proposed model corrects the optimum tilt angle by involving the three components of the solar irradiation: direct beam, sky-diffused and ground reflected solar irradiances. The results proved the applicability and reliability of the obtained regression model. In addition, results showed the high potential of the proposed model for use in engineering design, eco-energetic analysis and optimum design processes.
The energy consumption in a household with traditional home appliances was analyzed and compared with the energy consumption using market-available energy-saving equipment in order to assess the energy efficiency potential in improving home appliances. Energy consumption from the two scenarios was compared, and emission savings was evaluated. RETSCREEN software was used to validate the findings. Money-saving calculations were conducted for this household and generalized to the entire country, emission savings were calculated, as well as total energy savings in barrels of oil equivalent, the obstacles and motivations were identified. Various policies and strategies to promote energy efficiency in home appliances were proposed.
The energy consumption of the Libyan common house is estimated through the use of simulation namely, the TRNSYS simulation programme and other tools to reach the best solutions with the assumption of changing the behaviours of those buildings occupants into better behaviours that help in energy conservation. Using official data from The Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy, the Ministry of Housing and Utility, the Centre for Solar Energy Research and Studies (CSERS), measurements and a survey using a well-designed questionnaire, the relevant information is gathered and the research is conducted. The energy audit of the typical home has been conducted by using the simulation programme 'TRNSYS' and other tools, to identify the role and weight of each source of energy consumption in the energy savings strategy. The study provided a detailed analysis of the thermal and electrical consumption in Libyan houses. The energy audit showed that the total energy consumption was found about 16,500 kWh/year, and it is distributed by sources as 36% by electrical appliances, 24% by lighting the interior space, 15% for water heating, and about 13% for both cooling and heating the space. The estimated specific energy consumption is found as 238.7 kWh/m 2 floor area. As a result, it is found that it is possible to save over 6650 TWh of electrical energy by implementing the proposed strategic plan. These savings will have a positive impact on both the economy and the environment by reducing CO 2 emissions from power plants by 6.54 million tonnes of CO 2 per year, saving about 1.935 million tons of burning Diesel fuel and saving about $333.54 million as social cost of the CO 2. ARTICLE HISTORY
Concentrated solar power (CSP) technology is a promising renewable energy technology worldwide. However, many challenges facing this technology nowadays. These challenges are mentioned in this review study. For the first time, this work summarized and compared around 143 CSP projects worldwide in terms of status, capacity, concentrator technologies, land use factor, efficiency, country and many other factors. Further, the various challenges facing the spread-out of this system are highlighted in terms of the heat transfer fluids (HTF), various energy storage (ES) technologies, cooling techniques, water management, and the Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE). Also, various thermophysical properties of the HTF are compared within the applicable range of the CSP operation. At the end of the review, various hybridization technologies for the CSP with various renewable energy sources, including photovoltaic, wind, and geothermal, are highlighted and compared. The pioneering country in using CSP, leading concentrator technology, suitable ES technology, and efficient hybrid technique based on the LCOE are determined. The analyzed data in this study is essential for predicting the future of the CSP in the markets and its contribution to reducing global warming potential.
High energy consumption along with the diversity of its species in the building section is one of the most important challenges for sustainable development. The use of solar energy in multi-generation systems is a new solution that has been considered by researchers. In this study, an integrated multi-generation solar energy system with the aim of supplying the demands of fresh water, electricity and heating of a building, as a case study, in the city of St. Petersburg has been suggested. The proposed system has PVT and PTC collectors, hot water storage tanks, heat exchangers, an electrolyzer, a hydrogen storage tank and a hydrogen engine for the purpose of production, storage and consumption of hydrogen. To evaluate the environmental and economic performance of the proposed system, initially, the performance of this system was evaluated and compared based on emergy analysis in two scenarios with and without desalination unit during one year. The difference between the two scenarios is the existence of a thermal water purification system in one scenario with the aim of supplying fresh water to the building and electrolyzer. In the first step of the study, the results showed that the system in scenario of without desalination unit has better performance in the viewpoint sustainability with higher environmental sustainability index (ESI) value, more dependence on environmental resources and lower investment costs. Also, in the second step, the stability performance of the system from emergy viewpoint for scenario without desalination unit in the climatic conditions of the four cities of St. Petersburg, Khabarovsk, Yakutsk and Moscow were evaluated. The results showed that the integrated energy system in the scenario without desalination unit with environmental sustainability index of 1.13 in the climatic conditions of the city of Khabarovsk is environmentally and economically sustainable.
In this work, an Hybrid Renewable Energy System (HRES) based on microgrid power is proposed and optimized to meet the electric demand of a sustainable multi-family buildings with possible generation of clean hydrogen. Hourly building simulation is carried out based on meteorological data to predict the year-round electrical consumption of the designed buildings. The proposed hybrid system includes a Solar Dish Stirling (SDS) technology combined with a Wind Turbine (WT) for power generation, an electrolyzer, a hydrogen storage tank, as well as a battery bank. The novelty of the study resides in the replacement of conventional hybrid systems, such as a photovoltaic PV/WT assembly, with an SDS/WT system that has the potential to reach higher efficiencies and economic competitiveness. An optimization process is investigated to evidence the optimum HRES design based on the lowest Net Present Cost (NPC). Sensitivity studies are performed to illustrate the effect of main functioning parameters and how they impact the overall project viability. Moreover, the performance of the model is evaluated in two selected sites in Morocco, namely Ouarzazate and Dakhla, and a comprehensive techno-economic study of the integrated system is investigated. The findings indicate that the HRES design and configuration are site-dependent due to discrepancies in wind and solar energy potential of the examined sites. The optimum architecture of the assessed HRES in Dakhla greatly promote the implementation of WT technology with a NPC/ LCOE of about 3.053 M€/0.0697 €/kWh, respectively. In Ouarzazate, it was found that the optimum design configuration relies exclusively on the SDS technology and correspond to NPC/ LCOE of 3.391 M€/ 0.126 €/kWh, respectively. LCOH values obtained by the optimum HRES configuration were determined 21.4 €/kg and 23.6 €/kg for Dakhla and Ouarzazate, respectively. This study demonstrates the viability of SDS implementation in future HRESs and open the perspectives for its role in carbon–neutral buildings.
Solar energy is one of the most promising renewable energy options in Libya. The electrical yield of the solar PV panel is very sensitive to the cell's temperature. As Libya is a vast and with different terrains, weather parameters such as: temperature, wind, rain and humidity vary significantly across the country. Therefore, this variation must be considered when assessing the feasibility of the PV solar systems, taking into consideration the selection of the appropriate PV technology in terms of the electrical characteristics, and not generalizing the results of a specific region to the whole country. The present work aims to determine the kinds of solar PV module technologies that are suitable for the climatic conditions of each region of Libya identified on the map. Due to the lack of weather data, the research utilized the data provided by Solargis Database Company in analyzing the performance of PV solar field. In this regard, economic parameters of three different kinds of PV solar modules were simulated under real weather conditions of several sites using System Advisor Model software (SAM) simulation tool developed by the NREL-USA. It is successfully determined the most suitable kind of PV solar module for each zone across the Libyan territory. The obtained results can be implemented in the preliminary design steps, especially in the selection of the kind of PV solar modules to be installed in a particular location, where a difference in the Levelized Cost Of Energy (LCOE) values up to 45% was remarked between several types of PV solar modules for the same location.
Reducing emissions from power systems requires enhancing the penetration of non-conventional renewable energy sources (NCRE) in the generation mix. However, such penetration requires high levels of operational flexibility in order to ensure an adequate balance between generation and demand. Concentrating solar power plants with thermal storage (CSP-TES) and battery energy storage systems (BESS) have shown to possess technical characteristics compatible with such high flexibility requirements. However, due to the high capital costs of these technologies, decision-makers must seek for cost-effective configurations and operation modes. This study presents the development of a methodological framework for designing the long-term transition of a multi-regional energy system towards a low carbon emission system. The sought system is characterized by a high penetration of NCRE, and the use of CSP-TES, BESS and electricity transmission settings for providing effective levels of operational flexibility. For this, the transformation of the Chilean electricity system between the years 2018–2050 is studied, using a tailored modification of the well-known OSeMOSYS optimization tool for energy systems planning. The main results indicate that by 2050, and considering a baseline scenario defined for 2016, for most of the scenarios studied the renewable electricity generation would be at least a 90 % and CO2 emissions would be 75 % lower. Furthermore, it is shown that providing operational flexibility to the system requires a mixed generation from hydroelectric reservoirs, CSP-TES plants, BESS, pumped-storage hydropower and natural gas generators. The obtained results allow planning the capacity and operation of CSP and BESS plants, which are adapted to the future flexibility requirements of the Chilean electric power system. Incentive policies like stimuli to growth BESS, would favor primarily the photovoltaic growth of the system at the expense of CSP-TES capacity, while CSP-TES growth incentives would maintain photovoltaic generation levels, but would decrease Wind and natural gas generation.
In this work, a high concentrated photovoltaic system (HCPV) integrated with battery storage system is proposed to produce energy for different applications in hot harsh weather conditions of Kuwait. Integrated HCPV-battery storage units commonly deliver systems with higher energy density compared to systems with individual components due to less wiring as well as sharing usual electrodes and encapsulation. The principal motivation for employing HCPV for generating high energy is the significant improve in power output. In that case, large cell areas are replaced by more inexpensive optical concentrator resulting in a substantial reduction in system cost. Thermal and electrical models utilizing Kuwait weather conditions are developed to evaluate the performance of the different system components; HCPV module, battery, and converter. To examine the reliability and the advantages of the suggested system, its performance is compared to the corresponding system with individual components. The results of the developed models agree well with available experimental data. The errors in total root mean square of present outcomes are less than 2 %. Simulation results indicate that the temperature of the battery and converters significantly decreases by inserting an air gap of 6.5 cm thickness between HCPV module and the battery back. The maximum battery temperature does not exceed 41 °C under severe weather conditions which is lower than the maximum operation temperature recommended by battery manufacturer. The optimum capacity of HCPV generation and battery capacity are determined utilizing load of loss probability as a measure for comparison. The increase in the temperature of integrated HCPV-battery system results in extra power losses of about 2.7 % compared to normal solar HCPV system. Because of ambient temperature, the battery capacity decreases by 2.6 % after one year of operation. However, the high energy density of the integrated system because of common components compared to the normal HCPV system exceed the decrease in performance due to elevated module temperature.
Greater integration of solar energy into the worldwide energy mix is increasingly ineluctable and implies a proper site selection. Photovoltaic (PV) is economically more considerable due to its falling price, but storage issues arise with large-scale integration and might be tackled with Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) considering its thermal energy storage (TES) system. CSP + PV hybridization may constitute an optimal option for better energy dispatchability, higher capacity factors with a reduced Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE). Herein, the overarching goal is to help locating and classifying appropriate sites suited for hybrid solar plants by dint of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method associated with Geographic Information System (GIS) tools. Given that CSP operates with either dry or wet cooling systems, the current assessment regarded both configurations to generate two potential maps within Morocco. Outcomes reveal that 11.2% and 32.2% represent the field share of excellent sites to host CSP + PV plants with wet and dry cooling correspondingly. Additionally, roughly 26.53% of the total area was left out representing the restriction mask. A sensitivity analysis was subsequently conducted to examine the most and least sensitive criteria. Thereafter, a techno-economic feasibility study in a hotspot was carried out for validation purposes: yield performances and LCOE of the hybrid CSP + PV plant - with 100 MWe capacity - were evaluated. Actually, the plant using wet cooling system can produce 312 GWeh/year with an LCOE of 0.0800 $/kWh. Whereas, with a dry cooling option, the annual production is of 333 GWeh/year and the LCOE is of 0.0816 $/kWh. This paper brings a novelty: the introduction of the “Water risk index (WRI)” amongst the decision factors from a visionary viewpoint. Being the first of its kind, the present research work may provide support for scientists and policy makers to evaluate their region's suitability for CSP + PV plants.
Accelerating the decarbonization of power sector requires strategic planning and multi-aspectual feasibility analysis of renewable energy systems including, but not limited to, meteorological, land-use, techno-economic and environmental parameters. In this study, at first, the suitability of reanalysis datasets of Direct Normal Irradiance, air temperature, wind speed, relative humidity and air pressure was investigated at different timescales and locations over Pakistan. High correlation (R > 0.9) and low bias is found for Surface Solar Radiation Data records – Heliosat East, after preprocessing, among radiation datasets in consideration. Likewise, Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications version 2 datasets of temperature and air pressure strongly correlate with ground measurements whereas wind speed and relative humidity show peculiarity. Afterwards, resource maps from long-term timeseries are developed for each of the aforementioned parameters. In the second part, spatial feasibility and Analytical Hierarchy Process based site suitability is assessed utilizing site-specific meteorological, socio-economic and environmental parameters. Moreover, multi-parametric evaluation of techno-economic potential is performed using bias-corrected datasets. For technical potential, System Advisor Model’s Physical Trough Collector model is used for exclusively selected points. Additionally, cost of water usage is introduced in estimation of Levelized Cost of Electricity besides other parameters. Cumulative power capacity potential of 10,035 GW is identified for country, with net cost estimated below 0.096 USD/kWh. Nine sites are found to have generation potential greater than 1200 TWh/year, the individual capacity to fulfil total predicted energy demand of the country for year 2030. Around 6.5% of viable regions are found to be highly suitable for plant deployment. Land cover and lack of access to transmission network act as limiting barriers in installation of concentrated solar power plants at many potential sites across the country.
To increase the share of solar thermal power in the energy mix, deployment of large capacity plants with the provision of thermal energy storage can be an attractive option subject to their techno-economic feasibility. In this paper, an attempt has been made to assess the effect of the nominal capacity and the hours of thermal energy storage on the techno-economics of solar thermal power plants in India. Based on two commercially proven solar concentrating technologies (parabolic trough collector and central tower receiver) and two condenser cooling technologies (wet-cooled and dry-cooled), three solar thermal power plants i.e., wet-cooled parabolic trough collector, dry-cooled parabolic trough collector and dry-cooled central tower receiver have been considered in the study. For the analysis, four different nominal capacities (50 MW, 100 MW, 150 MW and 200 MW) for parabolic trough collector based plants and three nominal capacities (50 MW, 100 MW and 150 MW) for central tower receiver based plants along with seven different values of hours of thermal energy storage (0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 h) have been considered. The capital cost has been estimated based on inventory of materials based approach. The estimated values for the levelized cost of electricity are highest for dry-cooled parabolic trough collector based plants (higher by 26% and 33%, respectively than the estimated values for wet-cooled parabolic trough collector and dry-cooled central tower receiver based plants). Further, the economy of scale was also observed in estimating capital expenditure with an increase in nominal capacity and hours of thermal energy storage. From the viewpoint of the project developer, for the same capital expenditure, wet-cooled parabolic trough collector based plants (without thermal energy storage) of higher nominal capacities are observed to be techno-economically more viable as compared to relatively smaller nominal capacity plants with significant hours of thermal energy storage. On the contrary, for central tower receiver based plants, it is techno-economically advantageous to increase hours of thermal energy storage in an existing lower nominal capacity plant compared to planning a higher nominal capacity central tower receiver based plant without storage.
In this study, the current situation and future prospects of cleaner energy production through concentrated solar power (CSP) plants in Pakistan are analyzed. The assessment of required resources, evaluation of techno-economic feasibility, analysis of existing policy framework, and potential barriers in adopting the concentrated solar thermal technologies in Pakistan are presented. Six potential sites for installing solar thermal power plants are selected on the basis of solar resource assessment, land availability, and feasible infrastructure. A case study of a 100 MW parabolic trough collector (PTC) solar thermal power plant is simulated for these potential sites by using the System Advisor Model (SAM) software. The optimization of solar field size and thermal energy storage is performed to obtain the minimum Levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for each potential site. Results indicate that the LCOE under the optimized configuration of the PTC solar thermal power plant in Pishin and Quetta can be minimized to 14.7 cents/kWh and 15.3 cents/kWh, respectively. Although the LCOE is the lowest in Pishin, the better availability of the desired infrastructure including transmission lines, water facility, and grid stations in Quetta makes it a more favorable site for installing the PTC solar thermal power plant.
Furthermore, a discussion of government policies, along with major barriers (financial, political, infrastructural, technical, and social) that hinder the development of concentrated solar thermal technologies in Pakistan, is presented in detail. In order to overcome these barriers, several recommendations, including the introduction of financial incentives to investors, promoting private stakeholders, the establishment of research facilities in the country, and educating the general population regarding the benefits of clean energy are also outlined.
The intermittent nature of variable renewable energy resources in conjunction with the fluctuating energy demand of load require using an efficient long-term energy storage means. Pumped Hydroelectric Storage (PHS) has proved its commercial viability as electricity storage technology and eligibility to be coupled with the Renewable Energy Systems (RESs). This paper proposes a simple and efficient procedure for optimal sizing of PHS-integrated hybrid PV/Wind power system for providing sustainable supply of electricity to an urban community in Brack city (), Libya. The sizing procedure is considered as a constrained optimization problem. The constraints are developed to consider the operating conditions and the output uncertainty of RESs. The sizing algorithm and optimization procedure are explicitly described. Different operating scenarios were considered to identify the optimal size of the hybrid PV/Wind energy system and PHS. Using the measured date of climate conditions and load consumption, the energy production for different sizes of solar PV arrays and wind turbine farms were estimated by System Advisory Model (SAM) software. Based on the Levelized Cost Of Energy (LCOE), the optimum power capacity ratio of PV array to wind turbines farm was 1:5. For the system of optimal size, PHS contribute with a share of 15 % in covering the annual load energy. The obtained results revealed that coupling the hybrid RESs with PHS is cost competitive and reliable alternative for providing sustainable energy supply to urban areas of suitable topographical conditions and high potential of renewable energy resources.
Solar dish (SD) technology is recognized as one of the most efficient solar thermal technologies for electricity generation. Moreover, SD technology has proven its suitability and reliability in solar energy potentials areas that are scarce to have water. In this regard, Egyptian western desert occupies an area of more than 65 % of the total area of Egypt. It receives some of the highest solar radiation in the world (up to 3.0 MWh/m²/year), making it a prime location for the exploitation of this technology. Then, it is worth to investigate the opportunities of SD power plant for electricity generation. This paper investigates the techno-economic performance of SD power plant under Egypt desert weather condition. Accordingly, the proposed power plant is modeled and simulated using System Advisor Model (SAM). The annual energy and the levelized costs of electricity (LCOE) are calculated based on the annual simulations of 50 MW installed capacity. The profitability of proposed power plant is assessed based on Egypt’s feed in tariff of concentrated solar power (CSP) projects. The proposed location of this power plant is Benban solar power park, near Aswan city in the south of Egypt. This is because the nature of the place is convenient and configured for building solar power plant, as well as its proximity to the Egyptian electricity grid. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis is conducted to investigate the effect of the main economic variables of the proposed power plant on the LCOE and NPV. The results show that annual energy output of 50 MW is estimated to 105 GWh/year. The LCOE is estimated to 13.38 ¢/kWh. The avoided GHG emissions and fossil fuels usage are equal to about 45 million tons of CO2 emissions and 21.64 thousand tons of equivalent oil (toe) per year (respectively). Furthermore, the results indicate that LCOE and NPV are very highly sensitive to the collector cost.
This work evaluates the concentrating solar power (parabolic trough) technology for electricity generation in Kuwait. The assessment is performed on an existing plant in Spain, and the model is validated using published data. The Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI) of Spain exceeds that of Kuwait by a difference of 176.2 kWh/m2a, but the overall performance of the Kuwait case exceeds that of Spain. With wet cooling, the Kuwait case performance exceeds that of Spain for the annual overall plant efficiency by 2.9% and the annual efficiency of the Solar Field (SF) by 4.1%. Additionally, the annual net electricity output of the Kuwait case exceeds that of Spain by 14,534 MWhe. With dry cooling, the Kuwait case performance exceeds that of Spain for the annual overall plant efficiency by 1.1% and the annual efficiency of the SF by 3.0%. However, the annual net electricity output of the Spain case exceeds that of Kuwait by only 749.8 MWhe. The better performance of the Kuwait case is due to the DNI impact on the number of full load hours of steam turbine, ambient temperature, wind speed, and SF heat loss/dumped energy. The techno-economic assessment considered numerous design configurations utilizing dry cooling in Kuwait due to the lack of water resources. The solar multiple and the number of full load hours of storage are varied to identify optimal configurations. It is concluded that the optimal solar multiple is at 3.3 corresponding to the lowest LCOE of 15.0663 ¢/kWh for 16 h of storage.
The techno-economic performance of two different CSP technologies i.e. Solar tower (ST) and parabolic trough (PT) were evaluated in this paper, each at two different locations in Ghana (Navrongo and Tamale) using the System Advisor Model (SAM) software. From the simulated results, levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of 13.67 ¢/ kWh and 14.73 ¢/kWh were recorded for the ST modelled at Navrongo and Tamale, respectively. The PT power plant simulated at Tamale and Navrongo also recorded an LCOE of 28.83 ¢/kWh and 25.83 ¢/kWh, respectively. It was observed that, the optimum solar multiple (SM) for the ST ranges between 1.4 and 1.9, this is because the least LCOEs for the different thermal energy storage (TES) periods are within that range. In the case of the PT power plants, the SM also depends on the period of the TES and each TES has a distinct SM ranging between 2.4 and 4. Results from the analysis suggests that the ST technology is the optimal system for the Ghanaian weather conditions. The study concludes that the bankability of CSP technology in Ghana depends on the type of financial conditions for the project. Therefore, appropriate policies from government are necessary to help in their development .
This study performs a techno-economic analysis of concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies for Malaysia. The solar resource assessment was done by analyzing various rural and regional locations using NASA Surface Meteorology and Solar Energy database. Three different technologies, parabolic trough collector (PTC), solar power tower (SPT) and solar parabolic dish (SPD) were assessed under different economic criterions. Results based on the analysis show that PTC and SPT type plants are particularly suitable for locations at East and Peninsular Malaysia. However, considering simple payback, the net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return (IRR), it is found that PTC type CSP plant will be the most eligible for CSP plant development. Sensitivity analysis is performed to investigate the effect of the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) on the various project discount rate. Regional renewable energy policy development and regulatory reform in feed-in-tariff (FiT), hybrid technology (PTC with biogas, solar PV and biomass) implementation, project financing under clean development mechanism (CDM) and lesson learned from international experience in local PTC equipment manufacturing are some of the crucial future policy outlooks that need to be applied for CSP technology implementation, as well as long-term sustainable renewable energy system development in the country.
Renewable energy sources and technologies have the potential to provide solutions to the energy problems. Solar energy can be an important part of the Palestinian’s strategies not only to add a new capacity but also to increase energy security, addressing the environmental concerns. In this paper, efforts have been made to summarize the current status, availability, and future potential of solar energy options in Gaza Strip. Solar radiation data was provided by Meteoblue AG – Switzerland [www.meteoblue.com] as hourly time-series for 15 years from 2000 to 2015 for five cities in Gaza Strip, which are geographically presenting the entire Gaza Strip. Jabalia, Gaza, Deir-Albalah, Khan-Yunis, and Rafah. These data are used directly to evaluate the potential of solar energy in the three selected sites by means of the System Advisor Model (SAM) from National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) software. The potential of solar energy in Palestine using Photovoltaic (PV) and concentrating (CS) solar systems have been discussed. The present study can be considered as a road-map to get out of the electricity crisis in the Gaza Strip and to end the suffering of Gazians. In this work, two scenarios are suggested, the first one is urgent, it stipulates to generate the demand load (552 GWh/year) by means of (PV) solar power systems. While the second scenario is leading to terminate the reliance on imported energy by producing all the energy needs locally via (PV) solar system. The study reached to determine the financial budget, the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE), and the technical parameters for both scenarios. The urgent action is building up a 555 MWp of (PV) solar system on the rooftop of Gaza Strip’s buildings. This will cost about 800 million $US and the expected price of electricity will be ranged between ($US 0.07–0.11) per kWh, which is four times less than the present price ($US 0.29–0.46) per kWh. The solar energy can lay a strong foundation for an independent the Palestinian state, generate employment opportunities, alleviate poverty and provide a visionary approach to the dreams of Palestinian youths.
The rapid increase in energy demand and the limited resources of fossil fuel as well as the environmentally damaging effects, drive the world to find new options for sustainable electricity generation, which is represented by renewable energies. Concentrating solar power (CSP) is one of the most promising technologies in the field of electricity generation to tackle this issue with a competitive cost in the future. This paper presents an investigation of the potential of implementation of CSP plants in Libya. The socio-economic context, current energy situation of the country and different types of CSP plants are discussed. Moreover, an assessment of site parameters required for CSP plants including solar resources, land use and topography, water resources and grid connections are investigated in detail. In addition, thermo-economic simulation of a 50 MW parabolic trough power plant is performed. The simulation is conducted based on meteorological data measured by the weather station installed at the Centre for Solar Energy Research and Studies (CSERS) in Tajoura city. The performance results are compared with the reference plant Andasol-1 in Spain. Even though the proposed plant is located on the North coast where solar resources are at their minimum compared with other regions of the country, the outcome of the study proves that Libya is not only suitable but it can be economically competitive in the implementation of CSP technology.
Population growth and economic development are leading to a continuous increase in energy demand in Egypt. At the same time conventional energy sources are diminishing amid growing global concern for the environment. These factors underline the importance of increasing the use of Renewable Energy sources. Egypt has enormous potential in Solar energy (CSP). There is sufficient proof of Egypt׳s potential for extracting energy from Concentrated Solar Power, especially power on demand generation. CSP represents a reliable and sustainable source of energy for Egypt with different outputs that can be used.