Energies, Vol. 19, Pages 1211: Small-Scale Parabolic Trough–Concrete Thermal Energy Storage for Dispatchable Heat for Pharmaceutical Processes: A Makkah Case Study
Energies doi: 10.3390/en19051211
Authors:
Abdulmajeed S. Al-Ghamdi
Ali Alaidaros
Pharmaceutical industries require a continuous heat supply to sustain around-the-clock operations such as sterilization. While fossil-fuel systems ensure reliability, they increase emissions and fuel dependence. Integrating a small-scale parabolic trough collector (PTC) with concrete thermal energy storage (C-TES) enables continuous and stable solar heat delivery, offering a flexible solution for pharmaceutical manufacturing. This study investigates the integration of PTC and C-TES to provide continuous heat supply using 12 representative days of the year based on weather data for Makkah City obtained from the Renewable Resource Atlas (RRA) developed by the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (K.A.CARE). Model validation was performed using experimental PTC–C-TES charging data and a simplified C-TES module model. The results show that the C-TES system successfully maintained operating temperatures between 120 °C and 310 °C. Demand coverage was identified as a key design parameter. Full demand coverage requires approximately 73 PTC units and 1600 C-TES modules, representing increases of about 4.5 and 5 times compared with the 25% coverage case. Techno-economic analysis indicates that the levelized cost of heat (LCOH) reaches an optimum of approximately 89.7 USD/MWh at 25% coverage, while overall efficiency peaks at about 41%. The results indicate that a moderate solar contribution of around 25% provides the optimal balance between cost and operational flexibility.