Mapping the Potential of Thermal-Storage-Integrated CSP in Algeria: A National Spatial and Techno-Economic Assessment

This study develops a national-scale CSP planning framework for Algeria that integrates high-resolution GIS–FAHP suitability mapping, infrastructure-constrained deployment scenarios, technology-resolved performance modelling, thermal energy storage (TES) integration, and spatial techno-economic assessment. Parabolic trough collector (PTC) and solar tower (ST) systems are evaluated across alternative development pathways and storage configurations to quantify the coupled effects of site suitability, solar resource, infrastructure accessibility, technology choice, storage duration, and system design on energy yield and LCOE.,The results reveal a strong spatial mismatch between Algeria’s highest-quality CSP resources and existing infrastructure, with the most favorable deployment zones concentrated in the Saharan belt. ST consistently outperforms PTC in both areal electricity yield and economic performance. Storage-duration analysis further shows a pronounced technology dependence: PTC reaches its lowest-cost region at approximately 6 h of TES, whereas ST exhibits a broader low-LCOE region around 15–19 h. For the representative 17 h ST configuration, off-grid LCOE decreases from 13.40–22.03 c€/kWh without storage to 10.50–16.44 c€/kWh. Site-specific sensitivity analysis identifies solar-tower CAPEX and financing conditions as the dominant economic drivers. Overall, the framework demonstrates that storage-integrated ST can provide a technically and economically attractive dispatchable solar option for high-DNI regions, while complementing lower-cost photovoltaic generation in Algeria’s future renewable-energy system.