Potential of CSP power plants in KSA and their ability to provide cheap, dispatchable and secure energy in comparison with PV

Abstract

Thermo-economic performance of a Parabolic trough collector and Solar tower based concentrated solar power (CSP) plant is compared a Photovoltaic (PV) based plant. The three technologies are simulated with and without storage. The evaluation was done for three cities of Saudi Arabia, namely, Tabuk, Taif and Dhahran, each of them with different solar radiation. The results show a clear relationship between the radiation and the electrical energy generation, but also between energy storage system and the expectation of the plant to meet its demand. The paper presents the methodology used for the three technologies and the comparison of the results, with special attention to the Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCoE) and the Annual Load Supply Factor (ALSF). PV with 9 hours of storage was found to have the highest ALSF but with highest LCoE, making it uneconomical in comparison to Solar Tower (ST) and Parabolic Trough Collector (PTC) plants. Amongst the plants with ALSF greater than 0.5, ST with 9 hours of storage was found to provide the least LCoE.