EXPLOTATION OF THE SYNERGIES OF THERMOSOLAR AND PHOTOVOLTAIC TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOLAR HYBRID SYSTEMS OF ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION. ASDELSOL (2019-2022) is a research project funded by the Junta de Andalucía in the frame of the Andalusian investigation development and innovation plan (PAIDI 2020).
Summary
In the current scenario inclined to the decarbonisation and the eminent renewable contribution in the energy mix, it is necessary to assume the determining role that solar energy must have given the quality and quantity of the solar energy available. Photovoltaic systems are simple installations capable of producing electricity at low cost, while solar thermal systems allow the storage of the thermal energy produced by the solar field for its subsequent conversion to electrical energy by temporarily decoupling the available resource to the electricity generated. The combined use of both systems substantially increases the dispatchability of the electricity produced and reduces the production costs.
The aim of this project is to advance in the knowledge of the hybridization of solar thermal and photovoltaic systems. The study starts from the Andalusian solar park in order to propose solutions to the imminent change of the energy model based exclusively on solar energy and, in the event of a possible change in the legal framework, resulting in an optimization of the operating solar thermal power plants. These hybrid plants must generate knowledge for the implementation of an eminently solar energy system on a medium-term horizon.
The study will be addressed from the state of the art and deepening in the needs of the sector and the electricity network. Innovative solutions will also be evaluated for the storage of the energy produced. Operation strategies will be proposed to maximize different common parameters such as the cost of electricity or the capacity factor, but new evaluation parameters will also be proposed, such as the energy balance of the installation over its useful life. For this, a simulation tool will be developed in open source, based on the tools already available, that bill be accessible for anyone interested on it on a web application.
This project will provide solutions to the Spanish solar thermal sector and especially to the Andalusian sector, enabling an improvement in the manageability of the thermosolar plants in operation, facilitating their operation and reducing their costs. These solutions go through the design of a system that can be reproduced in the framework of a change in the energy mix. The resulting system will be flexible enough to facilitate the operation of the set as the base system of a conventional grid or single system of a distributed grid capable of adjusting the generation profiles to the demand. For this purpose, innovative solutions are proposed in the energy flows directions in the storage systems.