Numerical analysis of a concentrating solar power plant integrating solid thermal storage systems for biofuel production

Replacing hydrocarbons with biofuels will be a key step in the global decarbonisation process. Among the various biomasses, microalgae represent a particularly sustainable biological resource that can be used for the production of biofuels. In this study, a new concentrating solar power plant scheme that can be integrated with chemical reactors in which the hydrothermal processes for liquefaction of microalgae take place is proposed. The energy efficiency of the proposed plant scheme, which contemplates the use of concrete sensible heat storage systems, was analysed by means of hourly numerical simulations conducted using a specially developed TRNSYS model.