(Speaker27844)Development and performance analysis of a hybrid solar gas turbine

摘要

With the increased amount of non-controllable renewables feeding the electric grid, such as windand solar energy, it is difficult to maintain the stability of the grid. Thermal solar plants canaddress and solve this challenge by operating them in combination with a conventional primemover. In hybrid solar gas turbine plants the environmental benefits of the solar energy arecombined with the operational benefits of the gas turbines. In the hybrid solar gas turbine thecompressor air is heated by the solar energy before it enters the combustion chambers. Thismeans that the conventional fossil fuel can be (partly) substituted by the solar energy; hence, thefuel consumption and pollutant emissions will be reduced. A challenge with conventional thermalsolar plants is the varying availability of the solar energy. However, the hybrid solar gas turbinesolution will ensure a continuous and stable power generation as the gas turbine can operate ona conventional fossil fuel when there is no or little solar energy available.OPRA Turbines is involved in an R&D project with the aim to integrate a gas turbine, based onthe OP16 gas turbine product line, into an existing solar plant. The OP16 is an all-radial gasturbine and the simple and robust configuration makes it suitable for conversion to a hybrid solargas turbine. This paper will start with a general description of the benefits and challenges ofhybrid solar plants. Next, the benefits of utilizing a gas turbine as the prime mover in the solarplant will be discussed followed by a description of the OP16 hybrid solar gas turbine concept.The paper will be concluded with a presentation of the performance data for the hybrid solar gasturbine.