Energy Generation Intensity (EGI) for Parabolic Dish/Engine Concentrated Solar Power in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

Abstract

In this work, the electric energy generation from a parabolic dish/engine array of 16 dish/engine units is estimated using the simulation tool Energy3D. This array represents one of the concentrated solar power (CSP) technologies, and its performance was assessed assuming that it operates in Muscat, the capital of the Sultanate of Oman. The dishes are identical, having a rim radius of 4 m and a focal length of 3 m. Each dish is perfectly tracking the sun's position, while mounted over a pole with a height of 4 m. The dishes have a spacing of 10.9 m in the West-East direction, and a spacing of 11.9 m in the South-North direction. With a set thermal efficiency of 35%, optical efficiency of 70%, mirror reflectance of 90%, and receiver absorptance of 95%, the electric annual output from the array was predicted to be 26.3 MWh. With a foundation area of 2,024 m 2, this gives an energy generation intensity (EGI) of 13.0 kWh/year/m 2. The electricity generation in each of the 12 months of the year was also predicted, and was found to vary from 30.4 Wh/day/m 2 in February to 42.2 Wh/day/m 2 in May, leading to a favourable seasonality index of 1.39.