Comparative Study of Solar Tower and Parabolic Trough CSP Plants

Concentrated Solar Power systems are viewed as one of the most promising renewable technologies for producing electricity that will meet up with the increasing energy demand globally. This study is aimed at comparing the performance of Solar Tower and Parabolic Trough Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants in Kano, a potential CSP site in Northern Nigeria using the National Renewable Energy Laboratory¿s (NREL¿s) Solar Advisor Model (SAM). Molten salt is used as both heat transfer fluid and thermal storage fluid for the two CSP technologies considered. The simulation results shows that Solar Tower CSP Technology is more favoured to be adopted for use in the study site because it has higher Annual Generation (i.e. the highest overall annual electrical energy output to the grid), higher Capacity Factor, lower Levelised Cost of Electricity, and higher Net Present Value that makes it more economical viable project for the site.