Indirect power cycles integration in concentrated solar power plants with thermochemical energy storage based on calcium hydroxide technology.

Thermochemical energy storage is attracting interest as a relevant alternative energy storage system in concentrating solar power plants. Efficient, low-cost, and environmentally friendly thermal energy storage is one of the main challenges for the large-scale deployment of solar energy. The reversible hydration/dehydration process of calcium oxide is one of the most promising concepts for energy storage integration at intermediate temperatures in solar plants. The efficient integration of concentrated solar power with a thermochemical energy storage system based on the calcium hydroxide concept, individually or integrated into a hybrid system with sensible heat storage, can be a feasible solution for long-term energy storage. Efficient energy recovery and subsequent power production are crucial. This work presents a novel analysis of the indirect integration of different power cycle configurations to optimise the roundtrip efficiency of the system. Steam Rankine, closed CO 2 Brayton, and organic Rankine cycles are considered. The analyses show power block efficiencies in the range of 38–50%, with a global roundtrip efficiency of 37.1% in the case of the CO 2 supercritical cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]