Elsevier, Energy Procedia, (49), p. 705-714, 2014
DOI: 10.1016/j.egypro.2014.03.076
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Solar thermal power plants (STPP) are focused on reducing costs while increasing performance. In this context central receiver (CR) technology working with volumetric receiver shows a high potential to improve efficiencies by allowing higher operating temperatures. This technology requires the implementation of efficient thermal energy storage (TES) that allows predictable electricity delivery to the grid. Moreover, to compete with the advantage of molten salt technology storage, the CR technology based in air as heat transfer fluid (HTF) must identify TES solutions that enable efficient thermal storage times, that could be considered dispatchable, and competitive specific costs under 20 €/kWhth. It may be considered that the reference solution for thermal storage in STPP-CR with open volumetric receiver continues being the TSA project developments, also adopted in the experimental plant in Jülich.