Elaouzy et al. (2026): Integration of direct air capture with solar tower and chimney power plants: energy, economic and carbon assessments

Youssef Elaouzy, Mustapha Soukri, Kumar Patchigolla, Abdulkarem I. Amhamed and Abdelghafour Zaabout, IN: Solar Energy, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2026.114656

The integration of concentrating solar power and direct air capture (DAC) systems remains limited by the high energy penalty, intermittency, and the lack of efficient system-level designs for waste heat utilization and cost reduction. This study evaluates the energy, economic, and carbon performance of an integrated system in which a DAC unit is installed between the towers of a solar tower power plant (STPP) and a solar chimney power plant (SCPP). This system aims to leverage the STPP waste heat to reduce DAC energy penalty, enhance SCPP electricity generation, and capture substantial amounts of CO₂. The feasibility of the system is analyzed under nine scenarios involving different waste heat recovery and supply configurations for CO₂ desorption and power generation. Furthermore, sensitivity analyses are performed, exploring the impact of key technical and economic parameters on overall performance.

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