Integrating photovoltaic/linear Fresnel reflector with supercritical carbon dioxide energy storage system: Energy and exergy analysis

Abundant solar energy in some countries including Iran located in the Middle East region can be utilized instead of limited underground sources and fossil fuels. In this regard, the integration of photovoltaic panels and linear Fresnel reflector provides promising results to take full advantage of renewable sources. The main objective of this article is to model a hybrid photovoltaic/linear Fresnel reflector energy storage system by employing su-percritical carbon dioxide as the working fluid. It is noteworthy that a two-tank-direct method has been employed in this study to model oil storage tanks, dynamically. Integration of MATLAB and CoolProp is used to model the above-stated structure. The performance of the whole cycle, system, and individual components during four various seasons has been investigated based on energy and exergy analysis. According to the results, thermal efficiency for LFR, stationary PV panels, and rotating PV panels was achieved between 37 and 60 %, 14-16 %, and 18-20 %, respectively. Furthermore, exergy efficiency for LFR, stationary PV panels, and rotating PV panels was attained in the range of 9-20 %, 13-15 %, and 16-18 %, respectively. The obtained investigation also indicated that the round-trip efficiency of this system varied between 50 and 60 %. High reported round-trip efficiency makes this idea valuable to enhance the entire cycle performance.