Absorber Layer Addition and Thermal Storage Media Comparison for Concentrated Solar Power Plant Optimization

Electricity generation from concentrated solar power plant can be optimized on its storage system or its receiver system. This paper conducts a review of how to optimize the concentrated solar power plant by increasing the stored energy capacity or by stabilizing the absorptance and emittance in the solar absorber. The additional stages in the CSP may increase thermal efficiency. The stages consist of two oriented solar absorber to create superheated steam fed to the steam turbine and one regenerator to optimally regenerate heat for working fluid before pumped to solar absorber. A suitable treatment for superheated steam from solar absorber can optimally supply the turbine with a continually stable steam. The continuous stable steam can be controlled using steam accumulator right before the superheated steam fed into turbine. The thermal energy storage in the cycle can be optimally selected based on the stored energy capacity per kg of compared material used. The final modification was made using recently developed absorber material of hafnium molybdenum nitride to create four layer tandem absorber of HfMoN(H)/HfMoN(L)/HfON/Al2O3. The tandem absorber indicates a stable absorptance and emittance up until 600 °C (in vacuum) and 525 °C (in air). The final configuration believed to enhance the thermal stability for high temperature concentrated solar power plant application.