Estudio técnico y económico de la energía solar de concentración

Abstract

[ES] En el presente Trabajo de Fin de Grado se realiza un análisis detallado de las 4 principales tecnologías de obtención de energía por concentración solar. Además, se analiza tanto la evolución de los costes como la situación actual del mercado de la energía termosolar en España y el mundo. Por último, se ha realizado una simulación con el programa SAM de una central solar de torre central con parámetros tan parecidos a Gemasolar (Sevilla) como ha sido posible, seguido de una optimización del campo de heliostatos y el tamaño de los mismos a fin de conseguir un menor costo nivelado de la electricidad (LCOE).

[EN] In the actual world, reducing environmental pollution has become a major objective. The exploitation of alternative and renewable energy sources and the reduced dependence on fossil fuels condemned to run out are part of the solution. This has led many countries to abandon conventional "dirty" energy sources and opt for renewable energies to protect the environment and ensure sustainable economic development. Among the different renewable energy sources, solar energy is an inexhaustible and clean energy source which still needs to improve and develop its technologies to make them cost-effective and viable. From all the possibilities that solar energy has, concentrating solar power (CSP) is the most promising technology for countries having an abundance of solar resources. This paper presents a review on CSP plants and an update of the latest developments of different technologies of CSP that are commercially available or under investigation. The four main technologies were evaluated in terms of design, performance, field experience and costs. A deep insight has also been made on the actual CSP market in the world and in Spain. In the final part of the thesis, Gemasolar solar power plant located in Sevilla (Spain) has been modelled and simulated using system advisor model (SAM). The model was validated by comparing its predictions with the actual plant data. The objective is to analyse and evaluate the plant’s performance. Finally, a most modern plant has been simulated and compared with Gemasolar, in order to determine which are the main design parameters that influence the plant’s performance.