Solar aided power generation: A review

Abstract

Solar Aided Power Generation (SAPG) is the most efficient and economic ways to hybridise solar thermal energy and a fossil fuel fired regenerative Rankine cycle (RRC) power plant for power generation purpose. In such an SAPG plant, the solar thermal energy is used to displace the extraction steam by preheating the feedwater to the boiler. The displaced/saved extraction steam can, therefore, expand further in the steam turbine to generate power. The research and development of the SAPG technology started in the 1990s. This paper is trying to reviews and summarises the progress of research and development of the SAPG plant technology in last almost 30 or so years, including the technical and economic advantages of SAPG over other solar thermal power generation technologies (e.g. solar alone power generation), various modelling techniques used to simulate SAPG perforamnce, impacts of SAPG plant's configuration, size of solar field and strategies to adjust mass flow rate of extraction steam on the plant perforamnce, exergy analysis of SAPG plant and operation strategies to maximise plant's economic returns etc. In addition, the directions for future R& D about SAPG technology have been pointed/proposed in this paper.