Location Study of Solar Thermal Power Plant in the State of Bahia using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Economic Methods

摘要

Solar Thermal Technology for the generation of electricity in large scale has been a reality in the world since the 1980s, when the SEGS plants were introduced. Nine SEGS power plants were built in three different sites in the Mojave Desert, in California (USA), between 1984 and 1991, and still in commercial operation today, with 354 MW of installed capacity, demonstrating their technical and commercial reliability. In Brazil, this form of energy generation has not yet been explored for large scale projects. In order to contribute for the introduction of solar thermal technology in Brazil, in large scale projects, this paper presents a study of the optimal location for thermoelectric power plants, based on the cost of electricity generation. The applied methodology for Bahia, located in the Northeast Region of Brazil, considered the implantation of parabolic trough solar power plant of 80MWe, operating only in solar mode, without heat storage. Based on performed analysis, it was confirmed that Bahia presents great potential for the installation of solar power plants, especially in the west region of State.