Analysis, comparisons and potential of a Hybrid Solar Power System through a life cycle approach

The sun is the most environmentally sound resource to produce clean and renewable energy, even though environmental score for solar technologies are representative only for the most common devices such as photovoltaic panels. Hybrid solar plants that combine solar power with another source of energies have never being compared with traditional solar technologies such as photovoltaic panels. The aim of this study is to analyze and compare the environmental score of a Solar Hybrid Combined Cycle with a traditional photovoltaic system and find out the potential and possible future development of the new technology. Thus the technologies analyzed are: a 100 kWp photovoltaic plant (PV) and a 100 kW hybrid solar-gas turbine systems (HSGT) that use as fuel a mix of solar radiation and natural gas. Using a life cycle approach, the potential environmental impact of the two solar power technologies is evaluated. The energy produced and expressed in kWh has been choosing as a functional unit. To better understand the potential of the new technology the heat produced by the plant has been accounted by substitution with a gas boiler, highlighting the potential of the HSGT technology. Despite that fact PV results as the best environmental sound technology between the two system under study while a Solar Hybrid Combined Cycle could become a better choice in a not so far future.