Compact PV-CSP: Extending solar power production beyond daylight

Will compact PV-CSP hybrid systems with thermal energy storage be able to improve the dispatchability of solar electricity and increase its share in the energy mix worldwide? In this work, we investigate how compact PV-CSP hybrid systems with integrated thermal energy storage could allow increasing the annual output energy and the capacity factor of solar power plants. The energy yield and the capacity factor are calculated for two hybrid PV-CSP strategies and compared to that of a conventional CSP plant with consideration of the same storage technology for all the systems. The impact of the electric load value and the storage duration on both the energy yield and the capacity factor are finally discussed.