Parametric Optimization and Performance Analysis of a Central Receiver Solar Power Plant: A Numerical Study for Enhanced Solar Field and Receiver

Open Access

Issue		BIO Web Conf. Volume 212, 2026 1^st International Conference on Environment, Energy, and Materials for Sustainable Development (IC2EM-SDT’25)


Article Number		01015
Number of page(s)		8
DOI		https://doi.org/10.1051/bioconf/202621201015
Published online		23 January 2026

M.J. Wagner, Simulation and Predictive Performance Modeling of Utility-Scale Central Receiver System Power Plants, Master’s thesis, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Sandia National Laboratories (2008). [Google Scholar]
M.A. Ekkeri, U. Farooq, P. Partibhan, K. Thomas, Concentrated Solar Power: Design of a CSP Tower Plant in NEOM (Saudi Arabia), Politecnico di Milano (2023). https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.25588.42886 [Google Scholar]
G. Augsburger, Thermo-Economic Optimisation of Large Solar Tower Power Plants, Ph.D. thesis, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) (2013). [Google Scholar]
O.A.J. de Meyer, F. Dinter, S. Govender, “Thermal Resistance Model for CSP Central Receivers.” AIP Conf. Proc., 1734, 030010 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4949062 [Google Scholar]
Flow Patterns of External Solar Receivers: Experimental and CFD Study of Air-Receiver Flow Distribution and Flux Uniformity, unpublished report. [Google Scholar]
A.S. Pidaparthi, F. Duvenhage, J. Hoffmann, A Parametric Study of Heliostat Size for Reductions in Levelized Cost of Electricity, Stellenbosch University, South Africa (2016). [Google Scholar]
G. Zhu, P. Kumar, M. Wolf, et al., Roadmap to Advance Heliostat Technologies for Concentrating Solar-Thermal Power, NREL/TP-5700-83041, Golden, CO (2022). [Google Scholar]
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Cost Update: Commercial and Advanced Heliostat Collectors, NREL Technical Memo (2021). [Google Scholar]
Lafayette Energy Systems, Drop C: The Drop-In “Ring-of-Power” Heliostat, White Paper (2020). [Google Scholar]
J. Gómez-Hernández, P.A. González-Gómez, J.V. Briongos, D. Santana, “Maximizing the Power-Block Efficiency of Solar Tower Plants: Dual-Pressure Level Steam Generator.” Appl. Therm. Eng., 144, 583–592 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2018.08.054 [Google Scholar]
D. Alfani, T. Neises, M. Astolfi, M. Binotti, P. Silva, “Techno-Economic Analysis of CSP Incorporating sCO₂ Brayton Power Cycles: Trade-Off Between Cost and Performance.” AIP Conf. Proc., 2445, 090001 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0086353 [Google Scholar]
Black & Veatch, Molten Salt Concept Definition and Capital Cost Estimate, DOE SunShot Report (2016). [Google Scholar]
C.S. Turchi, G.A. Heath, Molten Salt Power Tower Cost Model for the System Advisor Model (SAM), NREL/TP-5500-57625, Golden, CO (2013). [Google Scholar]
S. Ladkany, W. Culbreth, N. Loyd, “565 °C Molten Salt Solar Energy Storage Design, Corrosion, and Insulation.” J. Energy Power Eng., 12, 517–532 (2018). [Google Scholar]
J. Schulte-Fischedick, R. Tamme, U. Herrmann, “CFD Analysis of the Cool-Down Behaviour of Molten Salt Thermal Storage Systems.” ASME Energy Sustain. Conf. Proc., Paper ES2008-54101 (2008). [Google Scholar]
K.R. Gautam, M.A. Bashir, G. Frate, “Review and Techno-Economic Analysis of Emerging Thermo-Mechanical Energy Storage Technologies.” Energies, 15, 6328 (2022). https://doi.org/10.3390/en15176328 [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]
U.S. Department of Energy, Developing a Cost Model and Technology to Estimate Capital Costs for Thermal Energy Storage, DOE Report (2019). [Google Scholar]
Sandia National Laboratories, Advanced Thermal Storage for Central Receivers with Supercritical Coolants (2020). [Google Scholar]
International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Renewable Energy Cost Analysis: Concentrating Solar Power, Abu Dhabi (2012). [Google Scholar]
U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Capital Cost and Performance Characteristics for Utility-Scale Electric Power Generating Technologies, Sargent & Lundy Report 14987.001 (2024). [Google Scholar]
L. Wang, et al., Analysis of the Cost and Value of Concentrating Solar Power in China, NREL/IEA Study (2022). [Google Scholar]
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Producer Price Index (PPI) Report – November 2024, Washington, DC (2024). [Google Scholar]
R. Kumar, V.P. Singh, A. Kumar, “Thermal Performance and Economic Analysis of a 210 MWe Coal-Fired Power Plant.” J. Thermodyn., 2014, Article ID 520183 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/520183 [Google Scholar]
NOOR III CSP Project (Ouarzazate, Morocco), NREL SolarPACES Database (2022). 247 m tower, 150 MW_e, 7 h TES, LCOE ≈ 0.15 USD kWh^-1. [Google Scholar]
Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project (Nevada, USA), NREL SolarPACES Database (2023). 110 MW_e, 195 m tower, 10 h TES, LCOE ≈ 0.18 USD kWh^-1. [Google Scholar]
Atacama I / Cerro Dominador (Calama, Chile), NREL SolarPACES Database (2023). 110 MW_e CSP + 100 MW_e PV hybrid; 17.5 h TES; LCOE ≈ 0.10 USD kWh^-1. [Google Scholar]
Shouhang Dunhuang Phase II Tower (China), NREL SolarPACES Database (2022). 100 MW_e, 263 m tower, 11 h TES, LCOE ≈ 0.08 USD kWh^-1. [Google Scholar]
M. Mehos, C. Turchi, J. Vidal, M. Wagner, Z. Ma, Concentrating Solar Power Gen3 Demonstration Roadmap, NREL/TP-5500-67464, Golden, CO (2017). [Google Scholar]
M.N. Saeed, N. Rüsch, H. Dieringer, “Production of Aviation Fuel with Negative Emissions via Chemical Looping Gasification of Biogenic Residues: Full Chain Process Modelling and Techno-Economic Analysis.” Fuel Process. Technol., 241, 107585 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuproc.2023.107585 [Google Scholar]

Current usage metrics show cumulative count of Article Views (full-text article views including HTML views, PDF and ePub downloads, according to the available data) and Abstracts Views on Vision4Press platform.

Data correspond to usage on the plateform after 2015. The current usage metrics is available 48-96 hours after online publication and is updated daily on week days.

Initial download of the metrics may take a while.