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<p>This PhD dissertation presents three studies that individually aim to increase
understanding of various aspects of solar and wind energy and the challenge of integrating
them in the electricity power system. The first study explores the opportunity to
improve the technical and economic performance of concentrated solar thermal power
plants (CSPs) through joint installation and operation with fossil-fuel combined cycle
power plants (CCPPs). The second study presents an analysis of the feasibility and
technical, environmental, and economic effects of integrating large levels of distributed
solar Photovoltaic (PV) into a rather inflexible (nuclear-heavy generating base) power
system. The last study evaluates the potential of off-grid distributed generation
(DG) technologies including solar PV and wind systems to provide a cost-effective
solution to supply electricity to isolated loads in Saudi Arabia. </p><p> Several
tools and models have been developed to accomplish these studies including a thermodynamic
model developed in MATLAB environment to simulate ISCC plant operations, a PV production
model that estimates hourly PV power output, a unit commitment and real-time economic
dispatch (UC−ED) model that simulates hourly system operations and a mixed integer
linear programing that determines the optimal off-grid energy mix and capacity. </p><p>Although
two of three main studies presented do not focus specifically on Saudi Arabia, they
provide valuable insights for a transition of its electricity sector towards less
dependence on fossil fuels and increased use of renewables.</p><p>Saudi Arabia, the
world’s largest oil producer, relies on fossil fuels as the primary energy source
to meet its electricity needs. Its existing electricity generation fleet consists
of a large number of old and inefficient gas combustion and steam turbines, several
gas and oil-fired combined cycle power plants, and many diesel combustion engines
located in non-interconnected areas. The recently launched governmental plan Saudi
Arabia Vision 2030 intends to enhance the resiliency of the Saudi economy by diversifying
the electricity generation portfolio through the inclusion of renewable and nuclear
energy. </p><p>Pertinent to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the first study shows
that Integrated Solar Combined Cycle Power Plants (ISCCs) offer an opportunity to
reduce fossil-fuel consumption while reducing the levelized cost of solar thermal
energy (LCOE) by 35-40%. The third study shows that the in three non-interconnected
regions of KSA, off-grid distributed generation including more than 300 MW of solar
PV and wind energy is a cost-effective alternative assuming plausible scenarios for
fuel prices and electricity demand. In addition, the results reveal that the local
excellent solar resources and the high efficiency of the wind turbine technologies
that could be installed make the LCOE of solar PV and wind lower than the LCOE of
highly efficient oil-fired combined cycle power plants (CCPP) under moderate and high
oil price scenarios. </p><p>Finally, the second study illustrates a potential barrier
to the integration of a high share of distributed intermittent energy sources into
a power network that operates large base-load thermal generation units and rather
inflexible nuclear power plants.</p>
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