Techno-economic comparison of solar power tower system/photovoltaic system/wind turbine/diesel generator in supplying electrical energy to small loads

This study presents a techno-economic comparison of four alternatives (experimental prototype of concentrating solar power tower system, photovoltaic (PV) system, collapsible vertical axis wind turbine and diesel generator) to supply electrical energy for a small compound of buildings. Among the services needed in the compound are the provision of an adequate drinking water, health centre for immunization purposes, and learning centre. The result of this study shows that the amount of electrical energy needed to meet the basic power requirements is 7.3 kWh/day. Detailed analysis and design requirements of the four alternatives are presented. Dynamic indicators (life cycle cost, annualized life cycle cost and cost of energy production) were applied to evaluate the economic-effectiveness of these energy supply systems. The cost of energy was $1.06/kWh, $1.18/kWh, $1.19/kWh and $2.98/kWh for the PV system, solar power tower system, diesel generator system and wind turbine system, respectively. Providing electricity to the compound buildings using solar power tower and PV systems is very beneficial and competitive among the other types of energy sources.