Modeling of Solar Power Plant for Electricity Generation and Water Desalination

Abstract

This paper presents the simulation and modeling of the concentrated solar power (CSP) plant for multipurpose applications at Borg El Arab in Egypt. The plant produces 1 MWe and 250 m3 of distilled water using steam turbine and electric generator. The purpose of using different applications is to improve the overall efficiency and the coefficient of performance of the plant. The trnsys simulation platform was used for simulating the thermal performance of the solar power and desalination plant covering the parabolic trough concentrator (PTC), storage tank with an integrated steam generator, a backup unit, steam turbine, electric generator, and two effects desalination unit. The temperature and energy profiles of the plant were investigated for the PTC, steam generator and the electric generator. The results prove that the simulation could be used to support the operation of the CSP plant and for improving the performance of the cogeneration plant at Borg El Arab.