Evaluation of a combined-cycle setup for Solar Tower Power Plants

Simulation of a pure-solar combined-cycle solar thermal power was performed in order to analyse the thermodynamic and economic performance. An open volumetric receiver and packed-bed storage concept was considered. For a 15 MWe power plant, an exergetic efficiency of 25.6% was obtained based on a typical irradiation profile for a single day. The storage volume used was sized to allow continuous operation of the power generation cycle at its nominal point. Accounting for an amortisation over 15 years, a levelised cost of 17.7 UScts/kWhe is possible.