Simulation of 1MWe Solar Thermal Power Plant

Abstract A grid-connected solar thermal power plant, with a gross capacity of 1 MWe at direct normal irradiance (DNI) of 600 W/m 2 , has been designed and is being commissioned at Gurgaon near New Delhi in India. The unique feature of the plant is the integration of two different solar fields (parabolic trough collectors and linear Fresnel reflectors) without a fossil fuel backup. The hot oil (Therminol VP1) from parabolic trough collectors and saturated steam from linear Fresnel reflectors are integrated to produce superheated steam at 350 °C, 42 bar to run a turbine-generator to produce electricity. A simulation package has also been developed as a part of the project. This paper outlines the salient features of this package and presents simulation studies of the power plant under the climatic conditions of New Delhi. A detailed performance model of the actual plant is created in the simulator using its libraries. Diurnal simulation of the plant has been done to see the daily variations of the collector heat gain and plant power output. The plant will produce about 1365 MWh of annual energy at a capacity factor of 15.6%; the annual DNI at New Delhi being 1273 kWh/m 2 -year. These results can be used to plan the operation and device the appropriate control strategy of the power plant. The simulation results will be validated with actual plant data, after commissioning.