Integration of solar thermal energy in a conventional power plant: The Colon solar project

This paper reports on the first phase of the Colon Solar Project, originall y conceived as the hybrid repowering of an existing thermal power plant, wi th the addition of a gas turbine in a topping configuration integrating the rmal energy (steam) produced by a solar system. However, the project develo ped in a changing economic environment, in which a new legal structure, sti ll incomplete, as of January, 1998 has liberalized the electricity generati on market. This forced the original configuration to be modified, resulting in an all-new combined cycle with solar energy integrated into a Heat Reco very Boiler. Basic plant engineering placed special emphasis on the most im portant solar components (heliostat and receiver), and an economic analysis showed that the plant is profitable under the assumptions of the analysis. Nevertheless, the relatively low IRR, as well as the uncertainty of realiz ation of some of those assumptions, made the utility postpone its decision to build the plant.