Thermal energy storage technologies and systems for concentrating solar power plants

Review of supercritical CO2 power cycle technology and current status of research and development

A concentrating solar power (CSP) system converts sunlight into a heat source which can be used to drive a conventional power plant. Thermal energy storage (TES) improves the dispatchability of a CSP plant. Heat can be stored in either sensible, latent or thermochemical storage. Commercial deployment of CSP systems have been achieved in recent years with the two-tank sensible storage system using molten salt as the storage medium. Considerable research effort has been conducted to improve the efficiency of the CSP system and make the cost of electricity comparable to that of the conventional fossil-fuel power plant. This paper provides a comprehensive summary of CSP plants both in operation and under construction. It covers the available technologies for the receiver, thermal storage, power block and heat transfer fluid. This paper also reviews developments in high temperature TES over the past decade with a focus on sensible and latent heat storage. High temperature corrosion and economic aspects of these systems are also discussed.

Review on concentrating solar power plants and new developments in high temperature thermal energy storage technologies

This report provides estimates of operational water withdrawal and water consumption factors for electricity generating technologies in the United States. Estimates of water factors were collected from published primary literature and were not modified except for unit conversions. The water factors presented may be useful in modeling and policy analyses where reliable power plant level data are not available. Major findings of the report include: water withdrawal and consumption factors vary greatly across and within fuel technologies, and water factors show greater agreement when organized according to cooling technologies as opposed to fuel technologies; a transition to a less carbon-intensive electricity sector could result in either an increase or a decrease in water use, depending on the choice of technologies and cooling systems employed; concentrating solar power technologies and coal facilities with carbon capture and sequestration capabilities have the highest water consumption values when using a recirculating cooling system; and non-thermal renewables, such as photovoltaics and wind, have the lowest water consumption factors. Improved power plant data and further studies into the water requirements of energy technologies in different climatic regions would facilitate greater resolution in analyses of water impacts of future energy and economic scenarios. This report provides the foundation for conducting water use impact assessments of the power sector while also identifying gaps in data that could guide future research.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/7/4/045802/pdf

Operational Water Consumption and Withdrawal Factors for Electricity Generating Technologies: A Review of Existing Literature

United States. Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (Awards DE-AR0000471 and DE-AR0000181)

Concentrating Solar Power.

/pdf/concentrating-solar-power-gen3-demonstration-roadmap-51o02sa521.pdf

Concentrating Solar Power Gen3 Demonstration Roadmap

Thermodynamic Study of Advanced Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Power Cycles for Concentrating Solar Power Systems

History, current state, and future of linear Fresnel concentrating solar collectors

NREL, in conjunction with Sandia National Lab and the US Department of Energy, developed the System Advisor Model (SAM) analysis tool for renewable energy system performance and economic analysis This paper documents the technical background and engineering formulation for one of SAM's two parabolic trough system models in SAM The Physical Trough model calculates performance relationships based on physical first principles where possible, allowing the modeler to predict electricity production for a wider range of component geometries than is possible in the Empirical Trough model This document describes the major parabolic trough plant subsystems in detail including the solar field, power block, thermal storage, piping, auxiliary heating, and control systems This model makes use of both existing subsystem performance modeling approaches, and new approaches developed specifically for SAM

/pdf/technical-manual-for-the-sam-physical-trough-model-1z2l4i5iy1.pdf

Michael J. Wagner

Papers

Concentrating Solar Power Gen3 Demonstration Roadmap

Thermodynamic Study of Advanced Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Power Cycles for Concentrating Solar Power Systems

History, current state, and future of linear Fresnel concentrating solar collectors

Technical Manual for the SAM Physical Trough Model

Simulation and predictive performance modeling of utility-scale central receiver system power plants