Performance and Parametric Studies of a Non-Compact Hybrid PV-CSP Power Plant Integrated by a Supercritical Rankine Cycle and an Electric Heater in Series

Abstract

This study focuses on performing a parametric analysis of the non-compact concentrated solar power (CSP)-photovoltaic (PV) hybrid plant combined with an electric heater (EH) and a Supercritical Rankine Cycle as well as a multi-objective optimization of different technologies. The power plant sizing is evaluated in a baseload dispatch scenario of 165 MWe for a location in Seville and considering combinations of the PV installed power, CSP solar multiple (SM), thermal energy storage (TES) capacity and EH power. Studied parametric combinations are optimized for minimizing the Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) and maximizing the capacity factor (CF), with the ultimate goal of achieving the Pareto front. The results of the study show that certain combinations, such as PV=450 MWe, SM=2, EH=250 MW, and TES=12 h, have a favourable balance between the LCOE and the CF (LCOE=0.0979 €/kWh, CF=0.702). In addition, the results obtained through the optimization process, in particular by considering the Pareto frontier, indicate that among the different technologies, the CSP-PV-TES-EH configuration has the lowest LCOE and the highest FC.