Techno-economic assessment of a novel hybrid system of solar thermal and photovoltaic driven sand storage for sustainable industrial steam production

Abstract

Decarbonising industrial heat is a significant challenge due to various factors such as the slow transition to renewable technologies and insufficient awareness of their availability. The effectiveness of commercially available renewable heating systems is not well defined in terms of techno-economic boundaries. This study presents a techno-economic assessment of a novel system designed for steam production at a food and beverage plant. The proposed system is combines parabolic trough collectors with pressurized water thermal storage and photovoltaic-driven high-temperature sand storage. The technological components within the hybrid system complements each other both economically and practically, resulting in cost and land area savings. To evaluate the proposed system, simulations were performed using a model developed in TRNSYS and Python. The combined system exhibits better economic and land use performance than when these technologies are used individually. Specifically, the system has a high solar fraction of 90% while remaining competitive with the existing boiler fuel cost. The study emphasizes the importance of multi-technology approaches in developing practical solutions for industrial heat decarbonization. The findings can guide industries in a transition to sustainable heat sources and contribute to global efforts in mitigating climate change.