An integrated combined cycle system driven by a solar tower: A review

Edmund Okoroigwe and Amos Madhlopa

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2016, vol. 57, issue C, 337-350

Abstract: An integrated solar combined cycle system (ISCCS) basically consists of three major components: a combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT), solar steam generator (SSG) and solar field. The solar tower (ST) technology is one of the potential candidates that can provide the solar field. In this study, progress in the development of a ST-ISCCS has been investigated. It is found that a lot of research attention has been given to the ST technology with some commercial ST power plants operating in different parts of the world. This technology has enormous potential for integration with the ISCCS from thermodynamic and economic perspectives. Nevertheless, the maturity level of the ST technology is lower than that of the parabolic trough concentrator (PTC). Very limited research has been directed toward the development of the ST-ISCCS. In addition, most of the ISCCS power plants in operation today employ the PTC technology with no known commercial ST-ISCCS power plant existing at present (2015). In view of this, it is construed that there are some barriers to the development of the ST-ISCCS technology which broadly fall into three categories: (a) technology maturity, (b) financial and policy, and (c) technical factors. It is concluded that the ST-ISCCS is immature, and so more work is needed to improve its technological readiness.

Keywords: Combined cycle; Cost of electricity; Solar tower; Technology maturity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (21)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032115014756
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:rensus:v:57:y:2016:i:c:p:337-350

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/600126/bibliographic
http://www.elsevier. ... 600126/bibliographic

DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2015.12.092

Access Statistics for this article

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews is currently edited by L. Kazmerski

More articles in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().