Off-Design Performance and Annual Solar Contribution Assessment of a 100 MW Hybrid Solar Tower–Gas Turbine System under Libyan Desert Conditions

Abu Bakr Hammad; Hafedh Abid

doi:10.30521/jes.1921824

Off-Design Performance and Annual Solar Contribution Assessment of a 100 MW Hybrid Solar Tower–Gas Turbine System under Libyan Desert Conditions

Abstract

This work examines the off-design and long-term operational performance of a 100 MW hybrid solar tower–based gas turbine system under desert climatic conditions in Libya. The solar field and receiver performance are modeled with the System Advisor Model (SAM), while a steady state Brayton cycle thermodynamic model is used to calculate the hourly hybrid operation and fuel requirements. At the design point, the power block produces a net electric power of approximately 109 MW with a net electrical efficiency of about 39%, thus confirming the physical consistency of the adopted thermodynamic formulation. On an annual basis, the solar receiver provides 524,602 MWh of useful heat, which is equivalent to a solar fraction of the total annual heat demand of 21.43%. The hybrid design leads to a decrease in natural gas consumption from 236.57 million m³ in the baseline case to 185.88 million m³, i.e., an annual saving in fuel of about 50.69 million m³. Using standard conversion and emission factors, the value of avoided emissions in CO₂ equivalent is about 108 thousand tons per year. An economic assessment based on the Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) further indicates that the proposed hybrid configuration reduces the estimated LCOE by approximately 4.3% compared with a conventional gas turbine operating under identical conditions. The results of this paper indicate that the coupling of solar energy with gas turbine cycles by hybridization can deliver a considerable improvement in the thermodynamic performance as well as decrease fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, even without the use of thermal energy storage, under high DNI desert conditions.

Keywords

Thanks

The authors would like to acknowledge the support of the General Electricity Company of Libya and the Libyan Ministry of Technical and Vocational Higher Education for providing facilities and encouragement during the course of this research.

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Electrical Energy Generation (Incl. Renewables, Excl. Photovoltaics)

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Abu Bakr Hammad ^*
0009-0006-7960-6452
Libya

Hafedh Abid This is me
0000-0003-3755-6259
Tunisia

Early Pub Date

September 29, 2026

Publication Date

September 30, 2026

Submission Date

April 13, 2026

Acceptance Date

August 23, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 10 Number: 3

DOI

https://doi.org/10.30521/jes.1921824

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA94AR63XA

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Hammad, A. B., & Abid, H. (2026). Off-Design Performance and Annual Solar Contribution Assessment of a 100 MW Hybrid Solar Tower–Gas Turbine System under Libyan Desert Conditions. Journal of Energy Systems, 10(3), 171-182. https://doi.org/10.30521/jes.1921824

AMA

1.Hammad AB, Abid H. Off-Design Performance and Annual Solar Contribution Assessment of a 100 MW Hybrid Solar Tower–Gas Turbine System under Libyan Desert Conditions. Journal of Energy Systems. 2026;10(3):171-182. doi:10.30521/jes.1921824

Chicago

Hammad, Abu Bakr, and Hafedh Abid. 2026. “Off-Design Performance and Annual Solar Contribution Assessment of a 100 MW Hybrid Solar Tower–Gas Turbine System under Libyan Desert Conditions”. Journal of Energy Systems 10 (3): 171-82. https://doi.org/10.30521/jes.1921824.

EndNote

Hammad AB, Abid H (September 1, 2026) Off-Design Performance and Annual Solar Contribution Assessment of a 100 MW Hybrid Solar Tower–Gas Turbine System under Libyan Desert Conditions. Journal of Energy Systems 10 3 171–182.

IEEE

[1]A. B. Hammad and H. Abid, “Off-Design Performance and Annual Solar Contribution Assessment of a 100 MW Hybrid Solar Tower–Gas Turbine System under Libyan Desert Conditions”, Journal of Energy Systems, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 171–182, Sept. 2026, doi: 10.30521/jes.1921824.

ISNAD

Hammad, Abu Bakr - Abid, Hafedh. “Off-Design Performance and Annual Solar Contribution Assessment of a 100 MW Hybrid Solar Tower–Gas Turbine System under Libyan Desert Conditions”. Journal of Energy Systems 10/3 (September 1, 2026): 171-182. https://doi.org/10.30521/jes.1921824.

JAMA

1.Hammad AB, Abid H. Off-Design Performance and Annual Solar Contribution Assessment of a 100 MW Hybrid Solar Tower–Gas Turbine System under Libyan Desert Conditions. Journal of Energy Systems. 2026;10:171–182.

MLA

Hammad, Abu Bakr, and Hafedh Abid. “Off-Design Performance and Annual Solar Contribution Assessment of a 100 MW Hybrid Solar Tower–Gas Turbine System under Libyan Desert Conditions”. Journal of Energy Systems, vol. 10, no. 3, Sept. 2026, pp. 171-82, doi:10.30521/jes.1921824.

Vancouver

1.Abu Bakr Hammad, Hafedh Abid. Off-Design Performance and Annual Solar Contribution Assessment of a 100 MW Hybrid Solar Tower–Gas Turbine System under Libyan Desert Conditions. Journal of Energy Systems. 2026 Sep. 1;10(3):171-82. doi:10.30521/jes.1921824