A Hybrid Solar Concentrating-Waste Incineration Power Plant for Cost-Effective and Dispatchable Renewable Energy Production

The future energy system is based on a high contribution of renewable energy while stochastic fluctuations of the main renewable energy sources, i.e. solar and wind, is the main challenge for further implementation of such technologies. In addition, waste incineration is a key component of most European countries' energy matrix for base load heat or power supply. In this study, a steam power plant is proposed in which the heat demand is supplied by a hybrid system including a parabolic trough solar collector array and a waste incineration unit. The proposed hybrid power plant provides a uniform power production profile, making the produced intermittent solar energy well dispatchable, energy-efficient and cost-effective. The proposed plant is designed, sized and analyzed over an entire year of operation in a case study in Denmark. The results of the simulations of the system are presented and discussed.