A Dual-Layer Dispatch Framework for Concentrated Solar Power Systems Considering Molten Salt Thermodynamics

Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants with integrated thermal energy storage systems are critical for renewable energy dispatchability, yet their operational efficiency is challenged by frequent fluctuations in solar irradiance and power generation load, which propagate dynamic temperature variations in molten salt across hot and cold storage tanks. Existing optimization approaches oversimplify these interactions, neglecting the coupled effects of solar irradiance variability, molten salt discharge flow rates, and molten salt temperature changes on thermoelectric conversion efficiency. To address this, we propose a dual-layer optimization-simulation framework that decouples CSP operations into two coordinated subproblems: (1) a thermal dynamics simulation layer modeling real-time molten salt temperature evolution via irradiance-adaptive flow control, and (2) a power generation optimization layer scheduling electricity output based on the molten salt thermal state. Through iterative coordination, the method prioritizes power generation during high thermal potential periods (hot tank outlet temperature exceeding time-weighted averages), with experimental validation on a 110MW CSP plant demonstrating 985.43 MWh daily generation at 8188.32 kJ/kWh specific heat consumption, achieving a 2.2% efficiency improvement over simplified models by neglecting flow control cycles and thermal dynamics of molten salt.