Techno-economic assessment of various concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies for large-scale sustainable power generation in Bangladesh

Bangladesh, a fast-progressing country in terms of economy, infrastructure, and industries faces the risk of power shortage in the near future as its energy sector is heavily dependent on non-renewable resources. To achieve the target of gaining the status of a developed country set by the government of Bangladesh within 2041, an uninterrupted power supply is essential to support the ever-increasing demand. Hence, the country needs to focus on power generation by employing renewable sources. Bangladesh receives an adequate amount of solar energy throughout the year and thus solar thermal energy can be harnessed efficiently using various concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies like parabolic trough collector (PTC), solar tower, and linear Fresnel reflector (LFR). This study carries out a detailed technical and economic feasibility assessment of different CSP technologies for large-scale (100 MW) power generation to find the optimal technology for the climate of Bangladesh. After modeling, optimizing, and carrying out in depth sensitivity analysis of three power plants operated by PTC, solar tower, and LFR CSP technologies and simulating them using System Advisor Model (SAM), it is seen that the PTC plant generates maximum annual electricity (345.3 GWh) while operating at the highest efficiency (18.61 %) and capacity factor (39.5 %). Meanwhile, the solar tower plant provides the lowest levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) which is 6.18 Cents/kWh and the LFR-CSP plant needs the least land area among the three technologies. The selection of a specific technology for Bangladesh depends on the criteria that needs more emphasis for sustainable development of the energy arena.