Patent ID: 8544272

Claim:
A method for generating steam for a turbine using solar radiation, comprising: in a solar receiver of a thermal power generating system, the receiver having a steam/water separation tank and a feedwater tank, the separation tank being linked to the feedwater tank by a channel and by a solar receiver first section, the feedwater tank having a source of preheat other than solar energy, supplying feedwater into the feedwater tank; determining an amount of preheating to be supplied responsively to a predicted insolation schedule; selectively preheating the feedwater in or from the feedwater tank responsively to a result of the determining; conveying the preheated feedwater to the solar receiver first section; using solar radiation incident on the solar receiver first section, further heating the preheated feedwater to generate steam; conveying the generated steam to the steam/water separation tank and separating the generated steam from water therein; using solar radiation incident on the solar receiver, superheating the separated steam from the steam/water separation tank; and supplying the superheated steam to the thermal power generating system.