Solar Contribution Research Articles

Correction: Energy partitioning in global marine sedimentation: tidal, geothermal, and solar radiation contributions

Correction: Energy partitioning in global marine sedimentation: tidal, geothermal, and solar radiation contributions

Evaluation of photovoltaic installation potential in industrial complexes around metropolitan areas: Regulatory obstacles and geographical considerations

The assessment of photovoltaic (PV) installation potential in industrial complexes is critical for advancing renewable energy objectives, particularly in urbanized settings like Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. This study examines the complex interaction of geographical, regulatory, and environmental factors affecting PV feasibility across 193 industrial complexes. Employing a GIS-based methodology, the research evaluates available rooftop and general land areas totaling 47.3 km2, estimating a PV capacity potential of 3.72 GW. Despite significant rooftop spaces predominantly on concrete structures (10 km2), stringent setback regulations present substantial obstacles, particularly in areas such as Ansan. General land sites covering 16.6 km2 offer promising prospects, notably in Pyeongtaek. Current regulatory challenges, including setback regulations, impede the realization of the targeted 3.8 GW PV capacity, highlighting the potential benefits of policy reforms to facilitate deployment. This study underscores PV's pivotal role in sustainable energy transitions and advocates for strategic reforms to align regulatory frameworks with renewable energy aspirations. By integrating GIS analyses with regulatory insights, the study informs spatial planning initiatives essential for scaling up solar energy contributions in industrial contexts, supporting informed decision-making toward achieving a low-carbon future.

Mega-scale solar-wind complementarity assessment for large-scale hydrogen production and storage (H2PS) in Algeria: A techno-economic analysis

Green hydrogen (GH2) is produced using renewable energy resources (RERs) such as solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind energy. However, relying solely on a single source, H2 production systems may encounter challenges due to the intermittent nature, time-of-day variability, and seasonal changes associated with these energies. This paper addresses the assessment of mega-scale solar-wind complementarity and the economic viability of large-scale H2 production and storage in Algeria, considering various climatic conditions. A techno-economic feasibility analysis is conducted by examining various factors, including resource complementarity, electricity and hydrogen productivity, solar and wind contributions, capacity factors (CFs), total net present cost (TNPC), the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) production, and storage (LCOS). The findings reveal that among the studied locations (Tamanrasset, M'sila, Hassi R'mel, and Adrar), Tindouf ranked first in H2 production, with the highest amount at 11,267 kg and the lowest LCOH at 2.999 $/kg. Wind energy accounted for 69% (3,846,922 kWh) of the total (5,572,571 kWh), while solar energy contributed 31% (1,738,171 kWh). Economically, the LCOH-TNPC for the various locations ranged from 2.99 $/kg-77,042,696 $ to 3.70 $/kg-99,000,488 $. The total electricity-hydrogen generated is estimated at 25,840.251 MWh-529,395 kg. Wind power makes the major contribution, accounting for 63%–70%, compared to the PV system's share, ranging from 31% to 37%. Compared to relying on a single source, leveraging solar-wind complementarity presents opportunities for more consistent energy utilization and reliable hydrogen production. The obtained results are essential for decision-makers and policymakers in Algeria, indicating that the country can successfully achieve energy diversification and transition for future sustainability, and become a major player in the international hydrogen market.

Roles of Earth’s Albedo Variations and Top-of-the-Atmosphere Energy Imbalance in Recent Warming: New Insights from Satellite and Surface Observations

Past studies have reported a decreasing planetary albedo and an increasing absorption of solar radiation by Earth since the early 1980s, and especially since 2000. This should have contributed to the observed surface warming. However, the magnitude of such solar contribution is presently unknown, and the question of whether or not an enhanced uptake of shortwave energy by the planet represents positive feedback to an initial warming induced by rising greenhouse-gas concentrations has not conclusively been answered. The IPCC 6th Assessment Report also did not properly assess this issue. Here, we quantify the effect of the observed albedo decrease on Earth’s Global Surface Air Temperature (GSAT) since 2000 using measurements by the Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) project and a novel climate-sensitivity model derived from independent NASA planetary data by employing objective rules of calculus. Our analysis revealed that the observed decrease of planetary albedo along with reported variations of the Total Solar Irradiance (TSI) explain 100% of the global warming trend and 83% of the GSAT interannual variability as documented by six satellite- and ground-based monitoring systems over the past 24 years. Changes in Earth’s cloud albedo emerged as the dominant driver of GSAT, while TSI only played a marginal role. The new climate sensitivity model also helped us analyze the physical nature of the Earth’s Energy Imbalance (EEI) calculated as a difference between absorbed shortwave and outgoing longwave radiation at the top of the atmosphere. Observations and model calculations revealed that EEI results from a quasi-adiabatic attenuation of surface energy fluxes traveling through a field of decreasing air pressure with altitude. In other words, the adiabatic dissipation of thermal kinetic energy in ascending air parcels gives rise to an apparent EEI, which does not represent “heat trapping” by increasing atmospheric greenhouse gases as currently assumed. We provide numerical evidence that the observed EEI has been misinterpreted as a source of energy gain by the Earth system on multidecadal time scales.

Impacts of large-scale deployment of vertical bifacial photovoltaics on European electricity market dynamics

Self-sufficiency, climate change and increasing geopolitical risks have driven energy policies to make renewable energy sources dominant in the power production portfolios. The initial boom in the mid-2000s of global photovoltaic installations demonstrated the feasibility of the ambitious renewable energy targets. However, this rapid scale-up has introduced challenges, including price volatility and system integration issues. This communication calls the attention to these emerging challenges and offers quantitative insights on how rapid adoption of a more diversified photovoltaics deployment strategies can mitigate price volatilities, reduce fossil fuel dependence and steer Europe towards a forward-thinking sustainable energy pathway. The analysis reveals that as innovative bifacial photovoltaic systems are incorporated on a large-scale disruptive scenario, four main patterns emerge: economic value of solar production increases, base-load electricity price decreases, sun-rich countries expand their solar contributions, whereas nations with ample grid interconnections enhance their energy imports from neighbouring countries. It also underscores the importance of maintaining photovoltaics an attractive option for energy investors and traders in the future. Establishing this groundwork is critical since a successful integration of large-scale solar systems contributing to decrease price volatilities in Europe and US will carry significant repercussions for global energy policy formulation.

Rebuilding Ukraine’s energy supply in a secure, economic, and decarbonised way

Abstract Since Russia’s 2022 invasion, Ukraine’s civilian energy infrastructure has faced systematic attack and requires urgent and strategic reconstruction. This study confronts the dual challenges of rebuilding Ukraine’s energy system rapidly to mitigate civilian and economic disruption while aligning this to long-term goals of sustainability and energy security. We demonstrate that Ukraine can readily meet future energy demands through a fully renewable electrified system at costs comparable to those from fossil fuels and nuclear power. Contrary to previous re- liance on high-carbon energy sources, we find a diversified renewable energy portfolio, including significant solar photovoltaic and wind contributions, can ef- ficiently meet growing energy demands and position Ukraine as an energy ex- porter, leveraging its geographical advantages. The approach of our study, based on open data and models, extends beyond national borders and offers a model for post-conflict reconstruction that harmonizes immediate recovery with sustain- able energy transition.

Experimental Study an Effect of Photovoltaic (PV) Arrangement on Performance of 150 wp Solar Power Plant

Due to depletion of conventional fuel and also due to increasing global warming in last several years, the search of alternative and renewable energy increases remarkably worldwide. Many sources of alternative energy have been explored to substitute conventional source of energy by numerous researchers. Nowadays, another promising alternative energy got increasing attention is solar energy. As a matter of fact, in renewable sources, solar power contribution is so high when compared with other sources. The present study aims to figure out an effect of photovoltaic (PV) arrangement on performance of the solar system at three different configurations solar panel, i.e. standalone 150 wp (Model I), 100 wp + 50 wp (Model II), and 3 x 50 wp (Model II). The results show that the model I able to generate average power about 121.57 W which means that the model has an efficiency of 83.05% respect to the capacity of the PV.

Development and performance evaluation of a high solar contribution resorption-compression cascade heat pump for cold climates

Absorption-resorption heat pumps (ARHPs) have great potential in utilizing low-temperature solar heat for efficient winter heating, but are limited by their weak adaptability to cold climates relative to absorption heat pumps (AHPs) and vapor compression heat pumps (VCHPs). In this work, a resorption-compression cascade system consisting of ARHP and VCHP subsystems is proposed and investigated, with the goal of achieving efficient winter heating with improved solar contribution in cold climates. Thermodynamic models of the two subsystems and of the whole cascade system are developed for system feasibility verification and performance evaluations. Feasible operation temperature and pressure conditions are identified in terms of internal subsystem matching. Based on these operation conditions, the primary energy ratio (PER) – which is a key performance evaluation index – is investigated over a range of solar fractions (f). The results show that for cases without solar contribution, the PER can be generally >0.95 under feasible operating conditions. In addition, the primary energy saving ratio (PESR) and heating capacity lift ratio (εlift), as well as the heat source temperature (Th) and ambient temperature (Tamb) restriction, are all investigated and compared to those of other, competing heating systems. The results show that the proposed system can reduce the Th demand to 69 °C (with a minimum Tamb of −21 °C) and extend the operational Tamb to −31 °C (with a minimum Th of 90 °C), while importantly achieving PESR > 0.20 and εlift > 20 % under the above extreme conditions. Moreover, when integrating the system with solar heat with f > 43 %, the proposed solar-assisted system has a clear PER advantage over an equivalent VCHP system in the Tamb range from −31 °C to 10 °C, highlighting the possibility of achieving higher solar contribution in cold climates.

Experimental study of an on-grid hybrid solar air conditioner with evaporative pre-cooling of condenser inlet air

This paper presents an experimental study of a split type solar air conditioning system with evaporative pre-cooling at the condenser. The main objective of this research is to evaluate the thermal and electrical performance of the system under hot summer conditions in a Mediterranean climate. Previous studies have separately shown the benefits of both condenser inlet air pre-cooling and photovoltaic solar cooling. The novelty of this work will be the study of the coupling of these two techniques in a real installation, where the viability of the system depends on the component-level design and the operating conditions, since weather variables such as ambient temperature, relative humidity and solar radiation significantly affect the thermal behaviour of the refrigeration cycle, the evaporative pre-cooling capacity and the performance of the photovoltaic panels. Experimental tests were carried out over a summer season to evaluate the behaviour of the system and to obtain performance correlations validated with experimental data. These correlations will allow the modelling of the system and will be used to carry out an economic and environmental feasibility study of the proposed hybrid solar air conditioning system. The results show that a 100mm-thick evaporative pad achieved an average evaporative cooling efficiency for all tests performed of ɛevap=67.4%, reducing the air inlet temperature to the condenser by around 6°C. This resulted in an 18.3% improvement in the EER of the air conditioner. In addition, the use of evaporative pre-cooling resulted in a significant 23% reduction in peak power consumption. The study also evaluated the impact of the air pressure drop caused by the evaporative pad when not in use, with results favouring its installation. The system achieved a solar contribution of more than 30% under different solar radiation conditions when using pre-cooling, compared to 25% with a standard condenser. In addition, the combination of photovoltaic contribution and evaporative pre-cooling reduced energy consumption by 43%.

Experimental and theoretical investigation on a novel solar-assisted absorption-resorption heat pump (ARHP) system towards clean heating

Among thermally-activated heat pumps, absorption-resorption heat pump (ARHP) is dominant by the ability of combining with low-temperature heat for efficient space heating. In this work, an ARHP experimental prototype is developed based on the previous thermodynamic cycle and tested to obtain the operation details such as coefficient of performance (COP), supply water temperature, heating capacity and so on. The experimental and the previous theoretical results are compared and mutually verified. The exact performance of the solar-assisted ARHP heating system is then investigated and compared with that of the conventional vapor compression heat pump (VCHP) in terms of primary energy ratio (PER) and primary energy saving ratio (PESR). The experimental results show that the COP increases greatly from 1.125 to 1.353 when the heat source temperature increases from 90 °C to 150 °C at the ambient temperature and return water temperature of 0 °C and 30 °C, respectively. Under given conditions, the measured heating capacity reaches a maximum value of 18.5 kW, 9.0 % lower than the rated value. The theoretical results reveal that solar fraction above 30 % can make PER of the solar-assisted ARHP heating system comprehensively greater than that of the reference VCHP system. Optimal solar contribution to space heating can be achieved based on the proposed ARHP if solar heat is dividedly utilized in its temperature zones of 10–35 °C, 35–83 °C and above 83 °C.

Energy partitioning in global marine sedimentation: tidal, geothermal, and solar radiation contributions

Energy partitioning in global marine sedimentation: tidal, geothermal, and solar radiation contributions

Electrochemical-thermochemical complementary hydrogen production system for efficient full-spectrum solar energy storage

Solar hydrogen production, which can store unstable solar energy into clean hydrogen, has garnered widespread attention from researchers. However, there are some shortcomings in the single solar hydrogen production pathway: Photovoltaic-electrolytic green hydrogen production primarily harnesses short-wavelength solar energy, neglecting a significant portion of solar energy in the long-wavelength, while solar thermochemical methane reforming for gray hydrogen production underutilizes high-grade solar energy and emits carbon dioxide. This study presents a hybrid system capable of concurrently producing green and gray hydrogen, effectively harnessing the entire spectrum of solar energy while minimizing carbon emissions. Thermodynamic investigations reveal that the system attains energy efficiency of 47.43 %, exergy efficiency of 41.93 %, and solar-to-hydrogen efficiency of 25.61 % at the direct normal irradiance (DNI) of 1000 W/m2. It is intriguing to observe the discrepancy in the proportions of energy input from solar energy and methane, along with their respective impacts on hydrogen production. Although solar energy input constitutes 85.26–63.44 % of the total energy input, its contribution to hydrogen production is 64.94 %–33.71 %. Despite the reduced proportion of solar energy's contribution to hydrogen production compared to its input proportion, it significantly contributes to reducing fossil energy usage and carbon emissions. This system's average carbon dioxide reduction rate stands at around 16.84–13.80 kg/kgH2. The proposed system offers an efficient approach to full-spectrum solar energy storage and hydrogen production, thus contributing to a cleaner energy future.

Research on creating the indoor thermal environment of the solar greenhouse based on the solar thermal storage and release characteristics of its north wall

Improving the solar thermal storage capacity of the north wall of the solar greenhouse can effectively enhance the indoor thermal environment during the night-time in winter. However, the indoor thermal environment is also influenced by the interaction between the spatial parameters of the solar greenhouse and outdoor meteorological conditions. Additionally, the heat storage and release performance of the north wall are dynamically affected by changes in the indoor thermal environment. This complicates the quantitative assessment of the impact of solar active–passive heat storage methods applied to north walls on the indoor thermal environment. Therefore, in this study, we develop a mathematical model that considers simplified calculations of the solar greenhouse’s spatial parameters and the design method of an active–passive ventilation wall with latent heat storage, which was proposed in the early stage, for evaluating the impact of the solar thermal storage and release characteristics of the north wall on the indoor thermal environment of the solar greenhouse. This model is validated against measured data from the experimental solar greenhouse with high accuracy. Using this model, we analyze the quantitative reinforcement effects of a phase change composite wallboard and a solar collector system on the solar energy utilization of the north walls and its effects on the indoor thermal environment. Compared to ordinary solar greenhouses in Wuzhong, the application of a GH-20 composite phase change thermal storage wallboard to improve the passive solar energy utilization of the north wall can increase the solar energy contribution rate by 90.9%. Furthermore, integrating a multi-surface solar air collector with double-receiver tubes on the phase change composite wall can increase the solar energy contribution rate by 95.4%. Also, the experimental results reveal that the solar active–passive heat storage methods applied to the north wall can enhance the indoor thermal environment during night-time and increase cucumber yield by more than 10% in winter. This study provides a method reference for optimizing the active–passive solar thermal utilization of the solar greenhouse.

Machine Learning-Based Japanese Spot Market Price Forecasting Considering the Solar Contribution

Machine Learning-Based Japanese Spot Market Price Forecasting Considering the Solar Contribution

Finding the Best Station in Canada for Using Residential Scale Solar Heating: A Multicriteria Decision‐Making Analysis

Solar energy‐based heating systems, which are capable of providing space heating as well as domestic hot water heating, are a promising alternative to conventional systems to achieve the status of reducing fossil energy consumption in residential buildings. Determining how suitable such systems are performing in Canada and which station is the most suitable in terms of energy‐economic‐environmental parameters are issues that have not been investigated so far. Considering that such results are very important for energy decision‐makers and investors, therefore, in the present work, the provision of space heating and hot water heating on a residential scale in 10 Canadian provinces was done by Valentin TSOL v2021 R3 software. Then nine software output parameters along with three parameters of land price, the population of each station, and the natural disaster index were weighted using the AHP method. Finally, the results of the stations were ranked using five MCDM methods including AHP, TOPSIS, WASPAS, CRITIC, and GRA. The results of numerical simulations showed that the CO2 emissions avoided parameter has the most weight, and the parameters solar contribution to DHW and boiler energy to DHW has the least weight. Also, the final ranking of each station showed that the most suitable station is Regina and the most unsuitable station is Victoria. By examining and analyzing the results, it was found that only based on the outputs of the Valentin TSOL v2021 R3 software, it is not possible to comment on finding appropriate and inappropriate stations, and the necessity of using ranking methods was observed more than before.

Design parameters influencing the energy performance and indoor comfort of net zero energy building “NZEB” designed for semi-arid urban areas: Digital workflow methodology, sensitivity analysis and comparative assessment

In order to reach carbon neutrality targets in the built environment, worldwide designers should look toward more sustainable buildings, especially with solar integrated configurations to reduce the reliance on conventional sources of energy in urban environments.In this paper, a parametric digital workflow developed in the Grasshopper environment allowed the evaluation of the energy performance and indoor thermal and visual comforts of variable nearly Zero Energy office building configurations. More specifically, as a first step, this paper focused on the use of the global sensitivity analysis tool to evaluate the varying influence of different selected design variables on energy self-sufficiency and indoor thermal comfort of the office building. Then, based on the results of this investigation, we compared the energy performance of nearly/Net Zero Energy Buildings (ZEB) considering two opposing extreme design options, that are the worst and best configurations, using different timescales, i.e., annual, monthly, weekly, daily and hourly performances. Interestingly, the annual Solar Contribution Ratio (SCR), defined as the ratio between yearly solar production and the energy demand of the building, varies between 39 % and 146 %, while also maintaining an acceptable degree of visual indoor comfort (sDA > 0.5). Besides, the findings underscore the significant contribution of the BIPV system in shifting towards the net zero energy goal, accounting for as much as 57.14 % of the total solar energy output. Moreover, the energy self-sufficiency on an hourly basis reveals that the BIPV shading area enhances the daily load cover factor by a range of 4.39 % to 23.87 %, depending on the building’s design strategies and the season of the year.Overall, the research outcomes aim at evaluating the influence of a set of design inputs on quantitative indicators related to indoor visual, thermal comforts and energy performance that can provide practical information for building designers, urban planners as well as grid designers and operators. Also, this research provides understandable visual and graphical representations capturing the variation of the indexes in variable time-steps. Lastly, the result of this study proves that Net Zero Energy Building, even positive energy building, could be achievable within semi-arid climate conditions.

To Shade or not to Shade (and how)? Annual heating energy balance and internal temperature in low energy houses in Wrocław, Poland.

One of the important areas of occupant–building fabric interaction with IEQ consequences is windows’ shading. The relevance of shading has been explored through modeling studies in the context of energy, daylighting and thermal comfort, typically aiming to inform the design stage. In owner occupied housing the architectural design sets the scene for subsequent residents’ decisions concerning windows treatment. Here, based on varied treatments for 20m2 living room window observed during an in-depth building performance evaluation in same homes, dynamic modeling in TRNSYS is used to establish the related heating loads and internal temperatures. The results allow to rank five shading usage scenarios for three physical settings, namely lack of shading, external blind and internal curtain on lower half of the window, in terms of their overheating mitigation potential, based on simplified assumptions for heating, ventilation and shading practices. The modelling points towards severe overheating issue and crucial impact of shading usage patterns on its mitigation. Yearly modelled share of overheating hours (>26 °C) are almost double for unshaded scenario compared to the most effective shading strategy (25% and 13%). The simulation contributes to understanding of the field monitoring results where the unshaded living rooms experience more severe overheating, and the two shading settings in place are associated with comparable internal thermal conditions, respectively 22% vs. 5% and 6% of yearly share of overheating hours. The simplification of human-HVAC-building interaction model likely obfuscates solar heat gain control contribution to heating load.

Innovative integrated solar combined cycle: Enhancing dispatchability with a partial recuperative gas turbine and supercritical CO2 bottoming cycle, coupled with an ORC

Concentrating solar power is crucial in the future energy mix due to its ability to integrate thermal energy storage, thus providing dispatchability. One way to address the current high costs of this technology is by using higher temperatures, which can, however, lead to issues with heat transfer fluids and storage. A promising integrated solar combined cycle is here proposed to solve that current major issue. A partially recuperated gas turbine is coupled to a solar tower system using a Brayton supercritical CO2 power cycle, which recovers heat at two temperature levels. An Organic Rankine Cycle is also used to exploit the low-temperature flue gases. The performance at the design point is assessed under different solar contributions. The modulation of the thermal duty in the gas turbine recuperator allows reaching a nearly constant power production in the plant (180 MWe): 56 % coming from the gas turbine, 39 % from the CO2 power cycle, and 5 % from the ORC. The global efficiency achieved is 57.2 %. Carbon dioxide emissions range from 236 g CO2/kWhe (86 g CH4/kWhe are consumed) with the maximum solar contribution to 346 g CO2/kWhe (126 g CH4/kWh are consumed) with no solar contribution.

A critical evaluation of decadal solar cycle imprints in the MiKlip historical ensemble simulations

Abstract. Studies concerning solar–terrestrial connections over the last decades claim to have found evidence that the quasi-decadal solar cycle can have an influence on the dynamics in the middle atmosphere in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) during the winter season. It has been argued that feedbacks between the intensity of the UV part of the solar spectrum and low-latitude stratospheric ozone may produce anomalies in meridional temperature gradients which have the potential to alter the zonal-mean flow in middle to high latitudes. Interactions between the zonal wind and planetary waves can lead to a downward propagation of the anomalies, produced in the middle atmosphere, down to the troposphere. More recently, it has been proposed that top-down-initiated decadal solar signals might modulate surface climate and synchronize the North Atlantic Oscillation. A realistic representation of the solar cycle in climate models was suggested to significantly enhance decadal prediction skill. These conclusions have been debated controversial since then due to the lack of realistic decadal prediction model setups and more extensive analysis. In this paper we aim for an objective and improved evaluation of possible solar imprints from the middle atmosphere to the surface and with that from head to toe. Thus, we analyze model output from historical ensemble simulations conducted with the state-of-the-art Max Planck Institute for Meteorology Earth System Model in high-resolution configuration (MPI-ESM-HR). The target of these simulations was to isolate the most crucial model physics to foster basic research on decadal climate prediction and to develop an operational ensemble decadal prediction system within the “Mittelfristige Klimaprognose” (MiKlip) framework. Based on correlations and multiple linear regression analysis we show that the MPI-ESM-HR simulates a realistic, statistically significant and robust shortwave heating rate and temperature response at the tropical stratopause, in good agreement with existing studies. However, the dynamical response to this initial radiative signal in the NH during the boreal winter season is weak. We find a slight strengthening of the polar vortex in midwinter during solar maximum conditions in the ensemble mean, which is consistent with the so-called “top-down” mechanism. The individual ensemble members, however, show a large spread in the dynamical response with opposite signs in response to the solar cycle, which might be a result of the large overall internal variability compensating for rather small solar imprints. We also analyze the possible surface responses to the 11-year solar cycle and review the proposed synchronization between the solar forcing and the North Atlantic Oscillation. We find that the simulated westerly wind anomalies in the lower troposphere, as well as the anomalies in the mean sea level pressure, are most likely independent from the timing of the solar signal in the middle atmosphere and the alleged top-down influences. The pattern rather reflects the decadal internal variability in the troposphere, mimicking positive and negative phases of the Arctic and North Atlantic oscillations throughout the year sporadically, which is then assigned to the solar predictor time series without any plausible physical connection and sound solar contribution. Finally, by applying lead–lag correlations, we find that the proposed synchronization between the solar cycle and the decadal component of the North Atlantic Oscillation might rather be a statistical artifact, affected for example by the internal decadal variability in the ocean, than a plausible physical connection between the UV solar forcing and quasi-decadal variations in the troposphere.

Towards High Solar Contribution in Hybrid CSP-Combined Cycle Gas Turbine Plants

This paper proposes and analyses several configurations for hybridising concentrating solar power (CSP) plants with combined cycle gas turbines (CCGT). The objective is to increase the solar contribution to a large extent, much higher than those obtained in integrated solar combined cycles but maintaining synergies, which are usually lost when increasing the solar share. For that, two thermal energy management systems are introduced at different temperature levels. First, a configuration with only the low-temperature system is proposed. Then, an enhanced configuration with the low- and high-temperature systems is conceived. These configurations are compared to reference CSP and CCGT state-of-the-art plants. The analyses include different strategies of operation and two sizes for the thermal energy storage system. The results show that the first proposed configuration introduces some synergies but cannot improve the performance of the reference CSP and CCGT working separately, due to an issue with the solar dumping on days with high solar irradiation. The enhanced configuration overcomes this problem and maintains the synergies, leading to an improvement from both the thermodynamic and economic points of view, increasing the solar contribution and decreasing the levelized cost of energy over the reference plants.