Wind speed effect on a CSP PT plant’s power output

Dear Paul,

This question refers to the Parabolic Trough Physical Model.

I am interested in how SAM considers the effect of wind speed on the plant’s power output. Especially, I would like to know if SAM is taking into account a maximum wind speed below which collectors can be operated, I mean, a wind speed above which collectors would be set to stow position, as it is an input for the heliostat field in SAM's CSP Power Tower model.

Thanks in advance and best regards,

José María

Dear José María,

Thank you for the message. SAM's physical trough model considers the effect of wind in calculating thermal losses and power block cooling requirements. However, unlike the Power Tower model, it does not model the stowing of collectors to protect against damage from strong winds.

If you expect annual electricity production losses due to high wind speeds to be significant, you can include an estimate of the losses using one of the variables on the Annual Performance page (Performance Adjustment page in the Fall 2012 version and later).

Best regards,
Paul.