Insight into Dynamic Characteristics of Concentrated Solar Power Systems with Calcium Looping Based on ZnO–Na2SO4 Co-Doped CaO Composites

Concentrated solar power (CSP) integrated with calcium looping (CaL) technology has garnered significant interest as a solution to mitigate the issue of intermittency in solar power production. However, the deactivation of CaO-based materials during cycling limits the application of CaL technology on a large scale. Herein, the dynamic characteristics of the CSP-CaL system indirectly integrated with the s–CO₂ Brayton cycle using CaO–ZnO–Na₂SO₄ composites are studied. Energy analysis shows that the energy storage density varies from 1328.13 to 1232.03 J g⁻¹, and its average value increases by 32.0%. Round-trip efficiency of the system varies from 40.0% to 39.5%, and its average value increases by 22.6%. Exergy analysis shows that the co-doping of ZnO and Na₂SO₄ into CaO enhances the exergy efficiency of the calciner and the heat exchange network, but reduces the exergy efficiency of the carbonator. Exergy round-trip efficiency of the CSP-CaL system has slightly decreased from 44.0% to 43.4%, with an average increase of 22.8%. Techno-economic analysis shows that the levelized cost of electricity for different sizes of CSP-CaL systems using CaO–ZnO–Na₂SO₄ ranges from 176.44 to 153.70 $ MWh⁻¹. Therefore, the CaO–ZnO–Na₂SO₄ composite shows promising prospects for application in solar thermal power generation.