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Influence of solar energy resource assessment uncertainty in the levelized electricity cost of concentrated solar power plants in Chile

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  • Hanel, Matías
  • Escobar, Rodrigo

Abstract

The deployment of renewable energy power plants is a priority of the Chilean government. A mandatory quota system requires that 5% of the electricity generated in the country must come from renewable energy sources, gradually increasing to 10% by 2024. As of 2010, solar energy has received attention only for small-scale future demonstration projects. Concentrated solar power (CSP) plants are an interesting option for the country, especially when considering the high levels of solar radiation and clearness index that are available in northern Chile. Here we present a thermal and economic analysis of CSP plants of the parabolic trough type, comparing five different configurations including thermal energy storage and fossil fuel backup. The electricity yields are obtained from hourly simulations that consider radiation levels, solar field, and power plant characteristics. An economic model that includes the costs of construction, operation and maintenance allows predicting the levelized electricity cost (LEC) as a function of plant configuration and location. The results indicate that the plants can produce dispatchable electricity at a cost that is competitive and inversely proportional to radiation levels. A sensitivity analysis is conducted in order to determine the influence of solar field area and radiation levels, and the optimal plant configuration and solar field area are obtained as a result.

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  • Hanel, Matías & Escobar, Rodrigo, 2013. "Influence of solar energy resource assessment uncertainty in the levelized electricity cost of concentrated solar power plants in Chile," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 96-100.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:49:y:2013:i:c:p:96-100
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2012.01.056
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ortega, Alberto & Escobar, Rodrigo & Colle, Sergio & de Abreu, Samuel Luna, 2010. "The state of solar energy resource assessment in Chile," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(11), pages 2514-2524.
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    1. Parrado, C. & Girard, A. & Simon, F. & Fuentealba, E., 2016. "2050 LCOE (Levelized Cost of Energy) projection for a hybrid PV (photovoltaic)-CSP (concentrated solar power) plant in the Atacama Desert, Chile," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 422-430.
    2. Cornejo, Lorena & Martín-Pomares, Luis & Alarcon, Diego & Blanco, Julián & Polo, Jesús, 2017. "A through analysis of solar irradiation measurements in the region of Arica Parinacota, Chile," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 197-208.
    3. Nollas, Fernando M. & Salazar, German A. & Gueymard, Christian A., 2023. "Quality control procedure for 1-minute pyranometric measurements of global and shadowband-based diffuse solar irradiance," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 202(C), pages 40-55.
    4. Adarsh Vaderobli & Dev Parikh & Urmila Diwekar, 2020. "Optimization under Uncertainty to Reduce the Cost of Energy for Parabolic Trough Solar Power Plants for Different Weather Conditions," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-17, June.
    5. Gonzalez, Alonso & Grágeda, Mario & Ushak, Svetlana, 2017. "Assessment of pilot-scale water purification module with electrodialysis technology and solar energy," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 206(C), pages 1643-1652.
    6. José M. Cardemil & Allan R. Starke & Adriana Zurita & Carlos Mata‐Torres & Rodrigo Escobar, 2021. "Integration schemes for hybrid and polygeneration concentrated solar power plants," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Energy and Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 10(6), November.
    7. Silva, R. & Pérez, M. & Berenguel, M. & Valenzuela, L. & Zarza, E., 2014. "Uncertainty and global sensitivity analysis in the design of parabolic-trough direct steam generation plants for process heat applications," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 233-244.
    8. Ajbar, Wassila & Parrales, A. & Huicochea, A. & Hernández, J.A., 2022. "Different ways to improve parabolic trough solar collectors’ performance over the last four decades and their applications: A comprehensive review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    9. Lin He & Chang-Ling Li & Qing-Yun Nie & Yan Men & Hai Shao & Jiang Zhu, 2017. "Core Abilities Evaluation Index System Exploration and Empirical Study on Distributed PV-Generation Projects," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-18, December.

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