Suppose a coal-fired power plant with an electric output of 23 MW is to be replaced with a large-scale solar thermal pla

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Suppose A Coal Fired Power Plant With An Electric Output Of 23 Mw Is To Be Replaced With A Large Scale Solar Thermal Pla 1 (17.11 KiB) Viewed 32 times

Suppose a coal-fired power plant with an electric output of 23 MW is to be replaced with a large-scale solar thermal plant that can produce the same output. The plant is built in a sunny location where maximum insolation is 900 W/m², and the capacity factor is 25%. The overall conversion efficiency of the system from incoming sunlight to electricity is 20.5%. The desired insolation capture must be multiplied by a factor of 3 in order to calculate the mirror area, that is, if insolation is 100 W/m², then the mirror area must be 3 m² in order to capture 100 W. a. Calculate the area of mirrors required to deliver the rated capacity of the plant. b. Assume that an economic analysis showed that the solar thermal plant investment would not break even. List two other factors that might be taken into account in order to give the financial viability of the plant a more favorable position.