A review on solar‐assisted gas turbines

Abstract

The thermal energy of the sun can be used for electricity generation. Solar thermal energy can be applied with fossil fuels or independently in order to reduce the cost of generated electricity and CO2 emission. Several cycles are introduced to extract solar thermal energy to be used in power plants. Brayton cycles, Rankine‐Brayton cycles, and supercritical Brayton cycles are among the most conventional ones. Based on the reviewed researches, using solar energy in addition to fossil fuels results in lower carbon dioxide emission and lower levelized cost of the generated electricity. Moreover, thermodynamic and economic analyses of the cycles revealed that heat recovery leads to higher efficiency while increase capital cost. The efficiency of solar‐assisted gas turbines depend on various parameters including pressure ratio, turbine inlet temperature, heat absorber geometry and the performance of the components. The enhancement in the efficiency of the cycles by applying each method depends on the configuration, operating condition. For instance, results have shown that 10% increase in turbine efficiency can led to 6%‐12% improvement in the efficiency of a closed‐Brayton cycle.

Exergetic, economic, and environmental analyses of combined cooling and power plants with parabolic solar collector

“…Renewable energy resources such as wind, geothermal, and solar are broadly employed for different goals including cooling, heating, and generation of electricity . Among the mentioned renewable energy sources, solar is one of the most attractive ones due to its easy availability and high capacity . There are several benefits in using solar energy such as reducing the production of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, improving the efficiency of the current systems, decreasing the dependency on fossil fuel, and some social advantages such as job creation .…”

“…[1][2][3][4] Among the mentioned renewable energy sources, solar is one of the most attractive ones due to its easy availability and high capacity. 5,6 There are several benefits in using solar energy such as reducing the production of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, improving the efficiency of the current systems, decreasing the dependency on fossil fuel, and some social advantages such as job creation. [6][7][8] Due to the mentioned advantages of solar energy, both thermal applications and electricity generation have significantly developed in recent years.…”

“…5,6 There are several benefits in using solar energy such as reducing the production of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, improving the efficiency of the current systems, decreasing the dependency on fossil fuel, and some social advantages such as job creation. [6][7][8] Due to the mentioned advantages of solar energy, both thermal applications and electricity generation have significantly developed in recent years. In order to generate electricity by the solar energy, PV panels and solar thermal plants are utilized as direct and indirect approaches.…”

Agro-residues and weed biomass as a source bioenergy: Implications for sustainable management and valorization of low-value biowastes

“…But with an ever increasing demand for more energy in current times, our fossil fuel reserves are depleting at a faster rate with estimated % fossil fuel reserve being 17.67 units, 64.99 units and 17.34 units for oil, coal and gas respectively (Singh & Singh 2012). Hence, alternative energy forms such as solar energy, geothermal energy and biomass energy are emerging as a viable alternative to the fossil fuel (Ahmadi et al 2018a, Ahmadi et al 2018b, Ojolo, Osheku & Sobamowo 2013. Biomass, a sole renewable energy source of carbon, can store solar energy and this energy can be converted to different forms of fuels as well as chemicals via successive conversion processes (Purbasari, Samadhi & Bindar 2016).…”

Carbon Dioxide Emission Prediction of Four CIS Countries by Applying a Correlation and GMDH Artificial Neural Network

“…Due to the lower GHG emission of renewable energies in comparison with fossil fuels such as oil and coal [7,8], there are several worldwide renewable energy projects [9][10][11]. Wind and solar energy projects are among the most attractive and fast-growing types of renewable energy technologies applicable to power generation, cooling, and heating [12,13]. In order to model the energy system of a country, it is necessary to consider the share of various sources in the overall energy consumption; therefore, both renewable sources and different kinds of fossil fuels must be considered.…”