Volume 27: Closing Carbon Cycles – A Transformation Process Involving Technology, Economy, and Society: Part II

Performance Improvement of Aerosols Impacted Concentrated Solar Power in Arid Regions: Case Study of Solar Power Tower Hybridization With Wind Turbines in Kuwait Mohammed S. Alfailakawi, Stavros Michailos, Derek B. Ingham, Ismail AL-Arfi, Kevin J. Hughes, Lin Ma, Mohamed Pourkashanian

Abstract

The main objective of the current work is to assess the hybridization of a solar power tower’s with wind turbines and the potential of this integration to compensate the energy losses caused by aerosols attenuation of the reflected irradiance of the solar field. The combined solar power tower and wind turbines configurations are assessed over the range of 60-100 MW. A maximum reduction of 6.8 % in the annual energy generation is found in the standalone solar power tower when the aerosols are adopted. The integration of wind turbines has a limited effect in the compensation of the energy loss due to the aerosols effect on the solar field, however, it has a major role in the decrease of the LCOE.

Keywords Solar power tower, Levelized cost of energy, Aerosols, Wind, Hybridization