Integrated Solar-Thermal Power Plants: TPP Bitola Case Study

The potentials for usage of the solar energy as a renewable energy source, whether by its conversion only into heat, indirect conversion into electricity using a prior generated thermal energy, or direct conversion of solar energy into electric energy using the photoelectric effect, are enormous. This paper presents a study for the development of an integrated solar-thermal power plant (ISTPP) for repowering the existing goal-fired TPP Bitola. In the proposed plant, firstly solar energy is concentrated and converted into thermal energy. Then, two potential scenarios for utilization of the obtained thermal energy are investigated: (1) for direct heating of a working fluid and electricity production in new thermal power plant, or (2) as a partial heat energy source which could replace existing thermal energy generated by burning coal for steam and electricity generation in the existing units of the TPP Bitola.