A parametric study on the feasibility of solar chimney power plants in North Cyprus conditions

Abstract

The present work investigates the feasibility of installing a solar chimney power plant (SCPP) under North Cyprus (NC) conditions. The method utilized for the simulations of electricity production was compared and verified by the experimental recordings of the prototype in Manzanares, Spain, before carrying out performance predictions for different plant sizes, collector diameters and chimney heights. The annual electricity production of a 30 MW hypothetical SCPP system is estimated to be 94.5 GW h, which can cater for annual electricity needs of over 22,128 residences without any CO2, NOx and SOx emissions. For an installation cost of 145 million, it was estimated that the savings-to-investment ratio (SIR) would be 1.14, indicating a marginal economic feasibility. It is important to find ways of reducing the installation cost in order to strengthen the economic viability of the system. Considering that, at present, fuel oil no. 6 is being used in NC to produce electricity; the SCPP would cause avoidance of 24,840 tonnes of CO2 delivered into the atmosphere annually, if it replaced an equivalently-sized conventional power unit. To identify the most feasible cost option for the installation of the SCPP, a parametric cost analysis is carried out by varying the parameters such as; capital investment costs, carbon dioxide emission trading system price, chimney height, collector diameter and SCPP plant capacity. In all cases, the effect of these parameters on the economic feasibility indicators, such as SIR, net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return (IRR) were calculated. The results showed that SCPP investment cost, capacity of the plant and chimney height are critical in assessing the project viability. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.