Adequacy considerations in concentrated solar thermal integrated electric power system

Production of electric power utilizing fossil fuels results in environmentally hazardous emissions and a reduction of fossil fuel reserves. The high variation in fuel prices is another area of concern when discussing sustainable energy use that considers future requirements. Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) is an emerging technology in the renewable energy field and is a promising addition to electric power systems. The output power of CSP is highly variable due to the intermittent nature of solar energy resources and the availability of CSP components. A probabilistic model of CSP has been developed to determine the effects of variation of direct solar irradiation and air temperature on power systems reliability. The model is applied to the Roy Billinton Test system (RBTS) to evaluate the reliability contribution of CSP. The impact of a range of factors, such as the system load, installed CSP capacity, and installation site parameters, on the capacity credit and effective load carrying capability of CSP are evaluated and presented in this paper.