Abstract
Radiant heat and light emerging from the sun can be harnessed in a variety of ever-evolving technologies mainly consisting of thermal and photovoltaic. In this research, comprehensive and systematic description of solar thermal technologies supported by techno-economic analysis was performed. The research starts with the optimization and classification of these technologies with a prime focus on the implementation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Theoretical analysis was conducted to calculate the technical specifications of various solar thermal technologies for the purpose to assess the optimized technology for the KSA. A 10 MW parabolic trough-based plant is designed and simulated by using four different heat transfer fluids including nano-fluids and molten salts with four collectors for the purpose to conclude the optimized design. Hydrogen and oxygen gas were used in receiver assemblies to calculate the absorbance, emittance, and transmittance along with various other effective parameters. It was observed that under specific conditions, collectors, and receivers have different values which is then affect the efficiency of the system. The prime objective of the research is to present the up-to-date solar thermal technologies in the KSA and the feasibility of a solar thermal pilot plant.