###### Abstract  
India is endowed with a lot of solar radiation as a result of its location. The Indian government therefore intends to maximize the usage of its solar energy resources through the development of solar power plants across the country. The concentrated solar power plant (CSP) is one of the technologies that rely on solar energy for its electricity generation. The type of condenser model in the CSP technology has the potential to affect its techno-economic viability. In this paper, a 100 MW solar tower power plant (STPP) with two different condenser models, i.e., the dry-cooled STPP and wet-cooled STPP models, are studied using the System Advisor Model (SAM) at six different geographical areas in India. The study employed the optimization of the thermal energy storage and the solar field size to identify the minimum levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for all six locations. Results from the simulation show that the LCOE will range between 13 and 17 cents/kWh under the optimization conditions for the STPP dry-cooled condenser model, while that of the wet-cooled condenser model will range between 12.40 and 12.96 USD cents/kWh for the study locations. It was also observed that the optimized solar multiple (SM) for the dry-cooled STPP model ranges between 1.4 and 1.8, whereas that of the wet-cooled model ranges between 1 and 1.8. The study identified Bhopal as the best location for installing the STPP plant for both condenser models. In addition, this paper also discusses major potential barriers and government policies that are needed to develop CSP technologies in India. The outcome of the study is expected to help both government and other stakeholders in decision making and policy formulation for the sector. oncentrated solar power; solar tower power plant; System Advisor Model; thermal energy storage; levelized cost of energy +
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population of around 1.5 billion, nearly 43% of India's population has access to grid-based electricity, while 57% use either non-grid sources for electricity and lighting or do not use any electricity at all [4; 5; 6]. India intends to address its issues concerning environment and energy through the promotion of renewable energy use and increased efficiency across the country. However, to date, only 38% of India's installed electricity generation capacities are from different renewable sources (i.e., solar energy and wind power). The government of India drafted new renewable energy policies in the 2000s to significantly increase the share of renewable energy sources in the country's energy mix through the following measures: Electricity Act, 2003; Tariff Policies, 2006; Natural Rural Electrification Policies, 2006; Planning Commission [10; 11]. Concentrated solar power (CSP) is beneficial as a renewable energy source technology due to its ability to readily incorporate energy storage [12]. A number of studies have been carried out globally concerning techno-economic assessments of potential CSP systems. For instance, [PERSON] et al. [13] evaluated the potential, viability, policy framework, and potential barriers of CSP generation in Pakistan. The study concluded that regions such as Pishin and Quetta are favorable for the CSP generation. In a techno-economic assessment of novel solar receivers in CSP plants and a heat collection model in the parabolic trough collector system, [14] identified an increase in the annual net electrical energy production of their studied plant and a decrease in the levelized cost of energy (LCOE). In another climatic context, [PERSON] et al. [15] showed the effectiveness of solar tower technology in Ghana using a System Advisor Model (SAM). [PERSON] et al. [16] conducted a techno-economic analysis of an integrated CSP system and reported that the LCOE can be reduced significantly, depending on the type of salt used in the storage. Another study [17] in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) evaluated the effect of substituting a natural gas-based heater with a thermal energy storage system (TES) in a parabolic trough CSP plant.