PV-CSP Hybrid Power Plants: Cost Savings by Close Coupling and Least Cost Design

Abstract

PV-CSP hybrid power plants have been proposed since several years and the first ones are currently planned or under construction. They can offer the combination of cheap and dispatchable solar electricity. In this paper such plants are simulated for three different sites and varying storage capacities. LCOE for these plants and sites is compared to standalone molten salt CSP plants and to PV-Battery plants. The results are plotted against the night time electricity fraction as characteristic number rather than against storage capacity since the same storage capacity does not necessarily lead to the same night time electricity fraction. The night time electricity production (or electricity production after sunset) is considered as major goal for these plants.