A Comparative Study of CSP to Produce Electricity Even at Night

Present-day energy consumption is increasing sharply throughout the world. Large amounts of energy are generated from conventional sources, which are depleting. And these also lead to emissions of carbon dioxide and fly ash that cause global warming. So, the world is looking toward renewable energy sources. Still, it also have some drawbacks like irregular power generation, weather dependence, and complex design because of their high invest-ment. Therefore, it is necessary to use other technologies as well. It is pro-posed in this paper that solar energy can be converted to thermal energy through combined thermal and concentrated solar power (CSP) plants that use parabolic trough and tower-type structures as well as auxiliary boilers. In-stead of molten salts and phase change materials, rocks and soil are used as energy storage materials. Consequently, it can be used for night operations, and this paper provides an overview to maximize efficiency, societal benefit, and reduce costs. The information presented here can help power generation companies and start-ups optimize power generation at thermal power plants and reduce environmental concerns.