1. Project Title
SOLAR based sCO2 Operating Low-cost plants (SOLARSCO2OL)
HORIZON EUROPE
Period: 01/10/2020 – 31/07/2026
2. Project Description
SOLARSCO2OL addresses supercritical CO2 cycles as key enabling technology to facilitate a larger deployment of CSP in EU panorama which is composed (also considering available surfaces and DNI) by medium temperature application (most of them Parabolic trough – Tmax = 550°c) and small/medium size plants enhancing their performances (efficiency, flexibility, yearly production) and reducing their LCOE. Considering that compared to organic and steam based Rankine, sCO2 cycles achieve high efficiencies over a wide temperature of range of heat sources with lower CAPEX, lower OPEX, no use of water as operating fluid (a plus for arid CSP plants area), smaller system footprint, higher operational flexibility.
3. Project Objectives
- Develop and validate the first European supercritical CO2 cycle
- Develop innovative turbomachines for supercritical CO2 cycles
- Demonstrate at Evora, Portugal, a 2MWe plant fed by concentrated solar power
- Develop suitable simulation tools, including thermoeconomic and dynamic features, to scale up the technology
4. Partners and Stakeholders Involved
Coordinator:
- RINA CONSULTING SPA
Academics:
- KUNGLIGA TEKNISKA HOEGSKOLAN SE
- UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI GENOVA IT
Industrialists:
- ETHNIKO KENTRO EREVNAS KAI TECHNOLOGIKIS ANAPTYXIS EL
- MAGTEL OPERACIONES SL ES
- FRANCO TOSI MECCANICA S.P.A.
- EUROPEAN SOLAR THERMAL ELECTRICITY ASSOCIATION BE
- MAS S.A. ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES FOR POWER AND ENERGY EL
- INGENIERIA Y TECNICAS DE MONTAJES LOINTEK SL ES
- NUOVO PIGNONE SRL IT
- SEICO Heizungen GmbH DE
- ABENGOA ENERGIA SA ES
- OCMIOTG IT
- IKERLAN S. COOP ES
5. Budget and Financing
Budget: 10,0 M€
Financing institution: Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA)
Call: H2020-LC-SC3-2020-RES-IA-CSA
6. Expected Impacts and Benefits
- Demonstrate at TRL7 a flexible FOAK sCO2 CSP power plant.The first main objective of SOLARSCO2OL consists in reducing CSP plants LCOE operating with MS based on an innovative sCO2 power block that could be applied to any CSP plant independently from the type and size (larger than 1 MW).
- Making sCO2 turbomachinery able to operate with solar input. The second main objective of SOLARSCO2OL consists in designing and prototyping high efficient sCO2 turbine and compressor machinery and making the sCO2 power block able to deal with intermittent/variable solar input. To achieve this goal, both compressor and turbine design will be deeply analyzed through detailed CFD/FEM simulations to evaluate the impact particularly on turbine dynamics and on materials (considering high pressure in place).
- Integration of SOLARSCO2OL components via grid oriented advanced control systems. The third main objective consists in the investigation and development of control algorithms that, starting from sCO2 power block dynamics analysis (UNIGE), will manage the SOLARSCO2OL integrated system, with focus on flexibility enhancement and power grid interoperability. The control algorithm will be developed following the experience of UNIGE on control logics definition of advanced and flexible power cycle and expertise of MAS in control implementation.
- Demonstration of economic, safety and environmental sustainability of the sCO2 concept applied to concentrated solar power plants
7. Contacts and References
Prof. Alberto Traverso
Email: alberto.traverso@unige.it
UNIGE - DIME
Link:
