| dc.description.abstract | Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) technology and shows promise for large-scale renewable electric power generation. CSP is suitable for development in conjunction with other technologies, and this thesis examines the combination of CSP technology with natural gas turbines in order to boost operating temperatures and efficiencies in a resulting solar hybrid gas turbine (SHGT) power plant. Thermal energy storage and a bottoming cycle are included in the design to increase both performance and renewable energy share. A literature study has been carried out on solar hybrid gas turbine technology, including thermal energy storage and bottoming cycles. A site with suitable solar resources in Europe was located, and design criteria for a candidate utility-scale power plant were selected. A SHGT power plant was designed and modelled in the process simulation software EBSILON® Professional, along with reference power plants for comparison. Quasi-steady state process simulation of the process models was carried out to find annual performance for different operating scenarios. While the candidate SHGT power plant was found to have limited potential as a base load power plant, an operation strategy to maximize solar share resulted in significant fuel savings and moderate emission cuts. The SHGT plant shows promise for further study for dispatcheable power generation and load shifting. | |
