The effects of Direct Normal Insolation, minimum condenser pressure and ambient temperature on the performance of CSP plants

There are numerous factors that can influence the overall efficiency of a solar power plant. Direct Normal Insolation (DNI), minimum condenser pressure and ambient temperature are among the factors that can affect main characteristics of a power plant. These important characteristics are capacity factor, annual energy and Gross-to-net power conversion coefficient. This investigation was performed by Solar Advisor Model (SAM). The results taken from this software can assist us to have a better comprehension over the effects of these factors on the overall performance of the power plant. In this study, Solar Electric Generating Station VI (SEGS VI), a parabolic trough solar power plant located in California, USA, is taken as a case study because of existing valid experimental data. The effects of these factors are then investigated on this power plant.

The effects of Direct Normal Insolation, minimum condenser pressure and ambient temperature on the performance of CSP plants Keywords:

parabolic trough power plant , Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plant , effects of dirtiness and direct normal insolation on solar power plant , SEGS VI , capacity factor , annual energy , gross-to-net power conversion coefficient