Small-scale hybrid parabolic dish concentrated solar power systems are a promising option to obtain distributed electricity. During the day, solar energy is used to produce electricity, and the absence of sunlight can be overwhelmed with fuel combustion. This study presents a thermo-economic survey for a hybridized power plant in different regions of Spain, considering the local climatic conditions. The developed model considers the instant solar irradiance and ambient temperature dynamically, providing an estimation of the power output, the associated fuel consumption, and the most relevant pollutant emissions linked to combustion. Hybrid and combustion-only operating modes at selected geographical locations in Spain (with different latitudes, mean solar irradiances, and meteorological conditions) are analyzed. The levelized cost of electricity indicator is estimated as a function of investment, interest rate, maintenance, and fuel consumption actual costs in Spain. Values of about 124 €/MWhe are feasible. Fuel consumption and emissions in hybrid operation can be reduced above 30% with respect to those of the same turbine working in a pure combustion mode. This model shows the potential of hybrid solar dishes to become cost-competitive against non-renewable technologies from the point of view of costs and reduction in gas emission levels in regions with high solar radiation and low water resources.

Solar selective coatings can be multi-layered materials that optimize the solar absorption while reducing thermal radiation losses, granting the material long-term stability. These layers are deposited on structural materials (e.g., stainless steel, Inconel) in order to enhance the optical and thermal properties of the heat transfer system. However, interesting questions regarding their mechanical stability arise when operating at high temperatures. In this work, a full thermo-mechanical multiscale methodology is presented, covering the nano-, micro-, and macroscopic scales. In such methodology, fundamental material properties are determined by means of molecular dynamics simulations that are consequently implemented at the microstructural level by means of finite element analyses. On the other hand, the macroscale problem is solved while taking into account the effect of the microstructure via thermo-mechanical homogenization on a representative volume element (RVE). The methodology presented herein has been successfully implemented in a reference problem in concentrating solar power plants, namely the characterization of a carbon-based nanocomposite and the obtained results are in agreement with the expected theoretical values, demonstrating that it is now possible to apply successfully the concepts behind Integrated Computational Materials Engineering to design new coatings for complex realistic thermo-mechanical applications.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft