Kassem Abdulrahman and others

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has launched ambitious plans to integrate alternative energy sources into the national grid, including 25 GW of concentrated solar thermal power (CSP). There are several options available for the design of a CSP plant, including collection technologies, solar thermal receivers, heat transfer fluids, and energy storage capacities. In this study, a techno-economic analysis has been conducted, considering the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) for each technology in order to build a common understanding and vision. The analysis outcomes were incorporated with the Saudi energy sector requirements and local weather conditions to define alternative scenarios. Six power plant scenarios were defined for performance and financial evaluation. This includes parabolic trough, solar tower, and linear Fresnel collection technologies. A simulation was subsequently carried out through the System Advisor Model (SAM). The alternative scenarios were assessed through defining weather, technical, and financial parameters. 

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2017.05.157Get rights and content