Event-based MPC for defocusing and power production of a parabolic trough plant under power limitation

Optimal operation of a solar plant is generally understood as a tracking of the optimal working temperatures which maximize the net electric power. However, a commercial solar plant may receive a limitation from the Transmission System Operator due to saturation of the electrical grid. In these situations the plant moves to an operation mode in which the objective is not maximum production but compliance with the orders of the Transmission System Operator. The paper proposes an Event-Based Gain Scheduling Generalized Predictive Control strategy for electric power production reference tracking when power limitations are imposed by the Transmission System Operator. Gain Scheduling Generalized Predictive Controllers are proposed to control fourth and third collector defocus in order to prevent heating fluid temperature from exceeding the limits of the manufacturer and therefore, avoid oil degradation. A 50 MW parabolic solar trough plant model has been used to design and validate the strategy. Simulation results are presented showing the advantages of using the proposed strategy.