A Novel Design of a Hybrid Solar Double-Chimney Power Plant for Generating Electricity and Distilled Water

Emad Abdelsalam, Fares Almomani, Shadwa Ibrahim, Feras Kafiah, Mohammad Jamjoum and Malek Alkasrawi ()
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Emad Abdelsalam: School of Engineering Technology, Al Hussein Technical University, Amman 11831, Jordan
Fares Almomani: Chemical Engineering Department, Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar
Shadwa Ibrahim: Chemical Engineering Department, Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar
Feras Kafiah: School of Engineering Technology, Al Hussein Technical University, Amman 11831, Jordan
Mohammad Jamjoum: School of Engineering Technology, Al Hussein Technical University, Amman 11831, Jordan
Malek Alkasrawi: Industrial Assessment Center, College of Engineering, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53211, USA

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 3, 1-20

Abstract: The classical solar chimney offers passive electricity and water production at a low operating cost. However, the solar chimney suffers from high capital cost and low energy output density per construction area. The high capital investment increases the levelized cost of energy (LCOE), making the design less economically competitive versus other solar technologies. This work presents a new noteworthy solar chimney design for high energy density and maximizing water production. This was achieved by integrating a cooling tower with the solar chimney and optimizing the operating mood. The new design operated day and night as a hybrid solar double-chimney power plant (HSDCPP) for continuous electricity and water production. During the daytime, the HSDCPP operated as a cooling tower and solar chimney, while during the night, it operated as a cooling tower. The annual energy output from the cooling towers and solar chimney (i.e., the HSDCPP) totaled 1,457,423 kWh. The annual energy production from the cooling towers alone was 1,077,134 kWh, while the solar chimney produced 380,289 kWh. The annual energy production of the HSDCPP was ~3.83-fold greater than that of a traditional solar chimney (380,289 kWh). Furthermore, the HSDCPP produced 172,344 tons of fresh water per year, compared with zero tons in a traditional solar chimney. This led to lower overall capital expenditures maximizing energy production and lower LCOE.

Keywords: solar energy; cooling tower; solar chimney; hybrid solar chimney; greenhouse gases; water distillation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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