Assessing solar power plant performance
The use of direct steam generation (DSG) within absorber pipes of parabolic trough solar collectors provides an optimistic solution for reducing costs of solar power plants. This process can reach a 26% cost reduction in the electricity generated from such solar power plants. INDITEP is founded on the accumulated expertise of the DISS project partners. After the technical feasibility of the DSG technology was proven experimentally, INDITEP aimed to incorporate DSG technology into the energy market. Studies were executed in many sites with power plants ranging from 5-50MWe in size. A study was then conducted which defined conceptual designs and provided estimates for investment costs and annual electricity production. Annual series of hourly values for each site were derived through the use of a satellite model. Radiation data were employed as input in complete models in which solar field plus power cycle were integrated. Output values of annual electricity production and the consumption of sources such as fuel, water and electricity were presented in an excel spreadsheet.
