A 140 MW solar thermal plant with storage in Ma’an, Jordan

Abstract

In this paper, a 140 MW solar thermal plant with thermal energy storage is proposed for Ma’an, Jordan. The plant characteristics are derived from the design of the Solana solar thermal plant with thermal energy storage in Gila Bend, AZ, US. One half of the solar field is considered, and only 1 of the 2 turbines. The total capacity is reduced from 280 MW gross, 250 MW net to 140 MW gross, 125 MW net. Energy storage is designed for 6 hours, the same as Solana. The performances of this plant similar to Solana are analyzed by using the System Analyser Modeller (SAM) software. Simulations show that Ma’an is a superior location for implementing this design, as the capacity factors are generally better in this location over the year.