Design of a Concentrated Solar Power Hybrid System for Electricity Production for a Textile Manufacturing Plant

The aim of this paper is to design a system to provide as substitute for grid-power derived from fossil fuel, a reliable and clean source of energy for a textile plant in Mauritius. This is done by designing a small-scale Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) hybrid system capable of generating electricity for the facility. The technical and financial feasibility of the system operating with an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) and a combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) as hybrid system is proposed in this work. The power plant is designed and modelled in the process simulation solver, System Advisor Model. The size of the solar field is optimized for the maximum annual solar to electric conversion efficiency using the concept of solar multiple. The electrical consumption of the facility is analysed in order to meet the power demand. The annual electricity generation of the design system, at a rated capacity of 2 MW
_e
, is determined at a selected location from specific hourly data of direct normal irradiation and indirect active thermal energy storage system, and an optimum hybridization fraction. The simulated annual performance of the design system is compared to the current energy consumption of the facility. The results demonstrate that the power plant has a significant potential during the summer season, but manifests some limiting factors in the winter season. Moreover, a financial appraisal, which includes the total investment cost of the project and its payback period, is presented along with an assessment of the greenhouse gas emission.