Optimized Ca-looping thermochemical energy storage under dynamic operation for concentrated solar power

The massive deployment of renewable energy sources and carbon capture technologies are required to achieve net zero emissions target by 2050. Calcium Looping (CaL) is a promising Thermochemical Energy Storage (TCES) system which improves the dispatchability of Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) plants. CaL TCES configurations found in literature focus on a steady-state analysis of thermal-to-electric efficiency of the CSP plants. In this work, the operation of the CaL TCES system for a CSP plant is economically optimized taking into account the seasonal and daily variations of solar resource and electricity prices. The defined methodology determines the operating performance of the CaL TCES which maximize the economic incomes of the CSP and the daily profiles of energy production and storage for representative days of the different seasons/periods of the year. Results show that it is possible to obtain good economic results and operate the CSP + storage for a daily maximization of incomes. Obtained results are also useful for the final design of the system and for the definition of the size required for the storage equipment.