State-of-the-art of solar thermal power plants—A review

The solar thermal power plant is one of the promising renewable energy options to substitute the increasing demand of conventional energy. The cost per kW of solar power is higher and the overall efficiency of the system is lower. In the present communication, a comprehensive literature review on the scenario of solar thermal power plants and its up-to-date technologies all over the world is presented. Results of the technical and economical feasibility studies by researchers are reported in brief for further reference. It is observed that the solar thermal power plants have come out of the experimental stage to commercial applications. Case studies of typical 50 MW solar thermal power plants in the Indian climatic conditions at locations such as Jodhpur and Delhi is highlighted with the help of techno-economic model. Different solar concentrator technologies (parabolic trough, parabolic dish and central power tower) for solar thermal power plants are compared economically. It has been found that the parabolic dish concentrating solar Stirling engine power plant generate electricity at a lower unit cost than the other two solar technologies considering 30 years lifespan and 10% interest rate on investment.