A Review on the Development of Concentrated Solar Power and its Integration in Coal-Fired Power Plants *

Concentrated solar power (CSP) technology has attracted the attention of researchers worldwide recently, due to falling prices and much lower operating costs. With the capability of providing high-temperature steam and being dispatchable when coupled with thermal storage, CSP systems are becoming promising technologies for increasing the generation efficiency of different types of power plants. This paper provides a review of the worldwide growth of CSP technologies. After providing a summary on current CSP technologies, development of CSP in some countries is reviewed. Then, possible joint-operations of CSP with different types of power plants are examined. Finally, their application on coal-fired power plants (CFPP) in terms of optimal location for integration, and criteria for CSP utilization based on the size of CFPP are investigated. This review study can assist power system planners to reach a deeper vision of CSP potential benefits for hybrid power generation, especially with thermal power plants, as well as a quick overview of successful projects globally.