Investigation of techno-economic and environmental performance of nanofluid-based concentrated solar power plant : A case study

Solar concentrating power is one of the most promising technologies for generating clean electricity from the sun's incident irradiation on Earth. Today's global issues include the protection of fossil resources, the stabilization of electricity production, and participation in sustainable development. The fundamental purpose of this study is to conduct a techno-economic and environmental analysis of a nanofluid-based concentrated solar power plant in Algerian climates utilizing three nanofluids (Syltherm 800/Al₂O₃, Dowtherm A/Al₂O₃, and Therminol VP-1/Al₂O). System Advisor Model software was used to optimize techno-economic-environmental outputs, such as levelized cost of energy (LOE), annual water use, and greenhouse gas emissions. The findings clearly suggest that using nanofluids as a working fluid in concentrated solar power plants improves the efficiency and performance of this technology. Using Dowtherm A/Al₂O₃ nanofluid at the Tamanrasset site resulted in the optimal LOE of 7.07¢/kWh. Furthermore, the amount of CO₂ increases proportionally with the size of the storage system.