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Title: Using Concentrating Solar Power to Create a Geological Thermal Energy Reservoir for Seasonal Storage and Flexible Power Plant Operation

Journal Article · · Journal of Energy Resources Technology
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4047970· OSTI ID:1665848
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [1];  [1]
  1. National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
  2. Kitzworks, LLC, Boise, ID (United States)
  3. Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations

Abstract We propose a hybrid renewable energy system—a geothermal energy storage system (GeoTES) with solar—to provide low-cost dispatchable power at various timescales from daily, to weekly, to seasonally. GeoTES with solar uses a concentrating solar power collector field to produce hot water that is injected into a sedimentary basin to create a synthetic geothermal resource. The stored geothermal heat can then be dispatched when required by the electrical grid. GeoTES is particularly valuable for a grid with a high penetration of non-flexible renewable technologies such as photovoltaic and wind power. In this work, a sophisticated hybrid model is developed to assess the technical and economic potential of GeoTES by combining IPSEpro, which is a power-cycle simulation tool, and SAM, an economic analysis tool by National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The analysis shows with proper initial charging period that the heat loss in storage is almost negligible and is a suitable technology for long-term energy storage. Various power-cycle options are evaluated, and the most suitable power cycle is selected for further study. Annual calculations of the GeoTES system indicate that a levelized cost of storage (LCOS) of 12.4 ¢/kWhe can be achieved for seasonal storage of 4000 h; this value is much lower than the existing long-term storage. The LCOS of GeoTES is insensitive to the storage duration above 8 h, unlike battery and molten-salt thermal storage systems. This result demonstrates that GeoTES can be a competitive seasonal storage technology in the future electricity market. The levelized cost of electricity of the GeoTES system is also carefully analyzed and can vary between 10.0 and 16.4 ¢/kWhe, depending on solar-collector prices.

Research Organization:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Geothermal Technologies Office
Grant/Contract Number:
AC36-08GO28308
OSTI ID:
1665848
Report Number(s):
NREL/JA-5500-75636; MainId:6451; UUID:7940c356-581c-ea11-9c2a-ac162d87dfe5; MainAdminID:18485
Journal Information:
Journal of Energy Resources Technology, Vol. 143, Issue 1; ISSN 0195-0738
Publisher:
ASMECopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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25 ENERGY STORAGE
concentrating solar power
energy storage
geothermal
renewable energy
seasonal storage
solar thermal