Prospects for the Use of Hybrid Thermal Power Plants with Applying Solar Technologies in the People’s Republic of Bangladesh Energy Sector

Abstract

There is an inextricable relationship and interdependence between the conditions of meeting energy consumption demands and environmental pollution. The interaction of these two factors and the development of production forces are gradually drawing attention to the problem of interaction between the thermal power engineering and environment. At the thermal power engineering early development stage, the main manifestation of this attention was the search in the environment for resources necessary to meet the energy consumption demands and stable energy supply to enterprises and residential buildings. In the subsequent, the problem boundaries were extended to the possibilities of a more complete use of natural resources through the search and improvement of processes and technology, extraction and enrichment, processing and combustion of fuel, as well as improvement of thermal power facilities. One of the ways to further develop thermal power plants and reduce their environmental impact is hybridization of solar technologies with conventional power plants. To overcome the limitations of simple cycle power plants, a method for hybridizing conventional power plants with solar technologies and its influence on performance are considered. The solar technologies used in the global energy sector are briefly overviewed. The efficiency of using hybrid power plants is studied with reference to the People's Republic of Bangladesh, which is one of the world’s sunniest and actively developing regions. The state of the republic’s energy sector, climatic features, and the possibility of using solar technologies for local conditions are analyzed. A solar thermal power plant model with a parabolic collector is considered; the efficiency of such power plants is analyzed, and technologies for using a combined-cycle power plant (CCPP) jointly with a solar steam generator for electricity generation are overviewed. The schemes of combined-cycle power plants with a solar steam generator were numerically analyzed. The analysis results have shown that during the summer state peak, the use of the integrated power unit makes it possible to additionally obtain approximately 6.5% of the unit total power output in comparison with a similar classical CCPP, but without using the field of solar collectors and a solar steam generator. The use of one modern GE 9371FB gas turbine unit produced by General Electric makes it possible to increase the net efficiency by 3.9% and bring the combined cycle net efficiency up to 59%. The improvements in the power unit are carried out with the minimal impact on the combined cycle operation due to a limited contribution from the solar energy based steam generation system. The integrated system makes it possible to cut the capital costs for the power plant construction. The combination of a CCPP with a solar installation will open the possibility to construct a highly maneuverable power unit with high efficiency indicators.