Anup Gupta,
S.K. Agarwal,
- Student, Department of Computer Science and Technology, Bansal Institute of Engineering and Technology, Mubarakpur, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
- Director, Department of Computer Science and Technology, Bansal Institute of Engineering and Technology, Mubarakpur, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
Abstract
A 330 MW coal-fired power plant hybridised with solar heat is proposed in this study and will be demonstrated in China’s Sinkiang region. In this solar hybrid plant, the steam generated from the high-pressure turbine is replaced with solar heat at about 300 degrees Celsius to preheat the feed water before the boiler’s economiser. In this manner, the coal- fired power plant’s output work can be increased by further expanding the replaced high- temperature and pressure steam in the turbine. In contrast to current solar-only thermal power technology, greater capacity units of the coal-fired plant with higher turbine internal efficiency can help transform the sun heat of about 300 degrees Celsius here into electricity. Additionally, this kind of solar hybrid power plant may operate at full capacity during periods of low solar radiation, like the evening and overcast days, without the need for a storage device. As a result, compared to the most modern parabolic trough plants, like SEGSs, the yearly net solar-to-electric efficiency can reach up to 21%, an improvement of roughly 3 percentage points. Furthermore, the levelized cost of electricity generation (LCOE) might be reduced to 0.8–1.0̞/kWh, which is around 20–30% cheaper than the 1.1–1.3̞/kWh of the solar- only thermal power plant. This kind of solar-coal hybrid power station would be a practical approach for the cost-effective and expandable utilisation of mid-temperature solar heat in the near and medium term.
Keywords: Solar–Coal Hybrid Power Plant; Solar Thermal Energy; Feedwater Preheating; Coal-Fired Power Generation; Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE)
[This article belongs to Journal of Thermal Engineering and Applications ]
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Journal of Thermal Engineering and Applications
| Volume | 13 | |
| Issue | 02 | |
| Received | 14/09/2026 | |
| Accepted | 15/09/2026 | |
| Published | 27/10/2026 | |
| Publication Time | 43 Days |