Techno-economic analysis of the integration of an innovative particle-based concentrating solar power system with a thermally driven cooling system

Stand-alone solar cooling technologies are under development and cannot compete economically with conventional cooling systems. Integration of particle-based concentrating solar power (PBCSP) systems with thermally driven cooling systems can provide an advantage over stand-alone solar cooling systems by providing low-cost, eco-friendly electricity and cooling energy. Consequently, this research proposes to investigate and identify the best configuration for the integrated system deployment to provide electricity and cooling energy in Tabuk province in Saudi Arabia and evaluate the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for the particle-based concentrating solar power and the levelized cost of cooling (LCOC) for the thermally driven cooling systems. Tower height and receiver dimensions of the particle-based concentrating solar power are found by performing techno-economic optimization in SolarPILOT^TM and SAM^TM. The performance of the particle-based concentrating solar power block and the thermally driven cooling systems is evaluated by simulating the thermodynamic model in EES^TM. These models are validated by the manufacturers’ datasheets. Cost models are defined to be used in the economic analysis. The exhaust gas double-effect absorption chiller (EGDEAC) is selected as the thermally driven cooling system. The result of thermodynamic performance analysis shows the particle-based concentrating solar power has an annual electricity production of 191 TWh from solar energy alone, with the power block exhaust having an average flow rate of 386 Mg/h and an average yearly exhaust temperature of 378◦C. On the other hand, the exhaust gas double-effect absorption chiller produces an annual cooling energy of 97,461,948 TR-h with an average COP of 1.456. The economic results demonstrate that the proposed system achieves a levelized cost of electricity, and levelized cost of cooling of 6.08 ¢/kWh and 3.77 ¢/TR-h, respectively. When this levelized cost of cooling is compared with the conventional mechanical vapor compression (MVC) cooling system, the result shows that the exhaust gas double-effect absorption chiller is competitive and has one-third of the levelized cost of cooling of mechanical vapor compression. The sensitivity analysis was also made on related influencing factors for the levelized cost of cooling. The analysis shows that the levelized cost of cooling of exhaust gas double-effect absorption chiller is sensitive to the amount of the output cooling energy and the total system cost.