Analysis and comparison between a concentrating solar and a photovoltaic power plant

Umberto Desideri and Pietro Elia Campana

Applied Energy, 2014, vol. 113, issue C, 422-433

Abstract: Solar energy is a source, which can be exploited in two main ways to generate power: direct conversion into electric energy using photovoltaic panels and by means of a thermodynamic cycle. In both cases the amount of energy, which can be converted, is changing daily and seasonally, causing a discontinuous electricity production. In order to limit this drawback, concentrated solar power plants (CSP) and photovoltaic plants (PV) can be equipped with a storage system that can be configured not only for covering peak-loads but also for the base-load after the sunset or before the sunrise. In CSP plants it is the sun’s thermal energy to be stored, whereas in PV applications it is the electrical energy to be stored in batteries, although this is not economically and environmentally feasible in large-scale power plants.

Keywords: Concentrating solar power plant; Photovoltaic plant; Performance analysis; Base load operation; Levelized cost of energy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (53)

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DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2013.07.046

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