Techno-economic comparison of vortex-type and chimney-type solar updraft power-desalination integrated systems

To compare and analyze the techno-economic competitiveness of the solar updraft power-desalination integrated systems of vortex-type, chimney-type and wind-supercharged chimney-type and provide reference for commercial application, the techno-economic analysis models of the three systems are established through the mathematical models of heat transfer and cash flow calculations. The results show that among various integrated systems, wind-supercharged chimney-type has significant advantages in power output. Even considering the chimney shadow, its power output is still 26.89% higher than that of vortex-type, but the vortex-type has the highest freshwater output. In the investment of various integrated systems, the cost of collector and distillation pond accounts for a large proportion, and the investment cost of vortex-type is the lowest. During the lifetime, the annual net income of each integrated system increases year by year, and the annual net present value first increases and then decreases. Compared with wind-supercharged chimney-type, the total net income and total net present value of vortex-type increase by 44.57% and 107.14% respectively. The vortex-type enters the profit status in the first year, while chimney-type and wind-supercharged chimney-type will not formally enter the profit status until the 8th and 4th year respectively, showing the obvious advantage of vortex-type in quick profit.