Combined solar heat and power system with a latent heat storage – system simulations for an economic assessment

Decentralized solar combined heat and power (CHP) systems can be economically feasible, especially when they have a thermal storage. In such systems, heat provided by solar thermal collectors is used to generate electricity and useful heat for e.g. industrial processes. For the supply of energy in times without solar irradiation, a thermal storage can be integrated. In this work, the performance of a solar CHP system using an active latent heat storage with a screw heat exchanger is investigated. Annual yield calculations are conducted in order to calculate annual energy gains and, based on them; economic assumptions are used to calculated economic numbers in order to assess the system performance. The energy savings of a solar system, compared to a system with a fossil fuel supply, are calculated. Then the net present value and the dynamic payback are calculated with these savings, the initial investment costs and the operational costs. By interpretation and comparison of these economic numbers, an optim...