Techno-Economical Assessment of Molten Salts Thermal Energy Storage Options in a Central Receiver Solar Plant in Southern Spain
Abstract
Thermal Energy Storage is a key issue in concentrating solar power plants due to the need to tackle the conflict between dispatchability requirements of the utilities and the intermittent and unpredictable nature of solar radiation. In this context, molten salt tanks are the more widespread solution because of their effective trade-off between cost and functionality. This work presents a techno-economical assessment regarding the use of different salt mixtures as storage medium in a central receiver solar plant as well as the eventual improvement of its performance due to increasing the specific heat of the salts by the addition of nanoparticles. As case-study, an actual plant in southern Spain has been selected and System Advisor Model was adopted as performance estimation tool. After model validation, a sensitivity analysis involving plant indicators (Egen, CF, VTES, LCOE) and different storage scenarios was carried out. The results show no significant differences between commercial mixtures and an economical advantage of using nanoparticles. Key-words: molten salts, central receiver solar plant