Abstract
At present, parabolic trough technology is considered as the most low‐cost and powerful large‐scale technology to utilize solar energy for electricity generation and produce steam for different industrial usages. This article recommends the generation of electricity by using a parabolic trough solar concentrator in the central area of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) at Dawadmi city. Pressurized water is used as the heat‐transfer working fluid. A computer algorithm was built using the Matlab program to simulate the performance parameters of the Euro Trough collector (ETC). The input data included the properties of the working fluid (pressurized water) and the designing parameters of ETC. The output data were the outlet water temperature, the coefficient of heat transfer, the heat loss, and the thermal, solar, and global efficiencies. The obtained results indicated the ability of this type of parabolic trough in KSA to generate electric power due to the high‐performance parameters achieved. Also, the validity of using the simulation technique was measured and it showed good conformity.