The present study evaluates and compares the optimum configurations for both PV-batteries and molten salt tower concentrating solar power plants that minimize the levelized cost of electricity for a suitable location for deployment of both solar technologies nearby Ouarzazate, Morocco, when considering two capacity factor objectives, namely 50% and 85%, and cost-projections for 2020 and 2030. Required target cost reduction rates for each of the main blocks in the tower plant (i.e. the solar field, the storage and the power block) are identified for guaranteeing its competitive advantage as the most economically viable solar-only technology at both capacity factor objectives investigated. It is shown that the larger the capacity factor requirement is, the more competitive the solar thermal technology would be. Specifically, the case-study shows that for an 85% capacity factor objective, tower plants would be more competitive even when considering the most pessimistic and optimistic cost projections for the solar thermal and PV-batteries sub-components, respectively. Nevertheless, it was also determined that in order to ensure being the most competitive solar-only technology at a 50% capacity factor objective by 2030, the costs of the solar field of the solar tower plants should reach values as low as 20-50 €/m~2, depending on the scenario, which means approximately a three to seven fold decrease of the costs as of 2017. At last, recommendations to solar thermal technology owners and developers are provided, and a short discussion regarding the viability and limitations of using battery electric storage systems for utility-scale solar plants is presented.
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