Led by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, the COMBO-CFB project has developed a new innovative concept to increase solar energy production in the energy system. According to this research, the concept can reduce fuel consumption and emissions stressing the climate by more than 33 per cent. The concept is based on the combination of concentrated solar power (CSP) technology and a traditional power plant process into a hybrid plant which produces electricity on the basis of consumption.
Led by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, the COMBO-CFB project has developed a new innovative concept to increase solar energy production in the energy system. According to this research, the concept can reduce fuel consumption and emissions stressing the climate by more than 33 per cent. The concept is based on the combination of concentrated solar power (CSP) technology and a traditional power plant process into a hybrid plant which produces electricity on the basis of consumption.
If part of the fuel used by a power plant is replaced with solar energy, power plant emissions will be reduced. This is also required in order to meet the emission reduction targets. The COMBO-CFB project − Combination of concentrated solar power (CSP) with circulating fluidized bed (CFB) power plants − examined how various types of hybrid plant solutions can produce power flexibly according to demand, without the need for energy storage. The project analysed and compared different hybrid plant concepts.
The concept in which steam generated by a solar field was fed directly into the power plant's high-pressure turbine brought a reduction in emissions and fuel consumption which, at best, exceeded 33 per cent. Furthermore, a reasonable dimensioning of the hybrid plant and process optimisation can bring efficiency benefits as compared to the use of separate power production methods. In the aforementioned case, the plant's net efficiency improved by 0.8 per cent. In addition to positive climate effects, good hybrid plant planning can also bring financial benefits since part of the power plant components are shared by two power production methods.
Read more at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
Photo: The Puerto Errado plant in Calasparra, Spain via VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
