The Value of Concentrating Solar Power and Thermal Energy Storage

Authors

Ramteen Sioshansi, The Ohio State University
Paul Denholm, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Document Type

Technical Report

Publication Date

2-2010

Publisher

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Publisher Location

Golden, CO

First page number:

1

Last page number:

32

Abstract

This paper examines the value of concentrating solar power (CSP) and thermal energy storage (TES) in four regions in the southwestern United States. Our analysis shows that TES can increase the value of CSP by allowing more thermal energy from a CSP plant’s solar field to be used, by allowing a CSP plant to accommodate a larger solar field, and by allowing CSP generation to be shifted to hours with higher energy prices. We analyze the sensitivity of CSP value to a number of factors, including the optimization period, price and solar forecasting, ancillary service sales, capacity value and dry cooling of the CSP plant. We also discuss the value of CSP plants and TES net of capital costs.

Disciplines

Oil, Gas, and Energy | Power and Energy

File Format

pdf

File Size

664 KB

Language

English

Comments

NREL Report No. TP-6A2-45833

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Repository Citation

Sioshansi, R., Denholm, P. (2010). The Value of Concentrating Solar Power and Thermal Energy Storage. 1-32.
Available at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/renew_pubs/3