The investment required for a hybrid plant depends on the power level of the plant and on the solar share proposed; the solar share itself is governed by the maximum exit temperature of the receiver. The current evaluation shows [27] that for a 30 MWe solar hybrid gas turbine plant with a pressurized volumetric air receiver, the potential solar LCOE is $0.1275-$0.1367/kWh.
If using modern gas turbine systems in recuperation or combined cycle mode, the conversion efficiencies for solar heat will be increased to over 50%. For a given solar share, this results in a reduced heliostat field size and in lower overall costs for the solar aspect of the investment, compared to the investment needed for solar steam generation. Thus, solar gas turbine systems are expected to have great potential for market success in the medium term [29].
