A techno-economic assessment of a combined heat and power photovoltaic/fuel cell/battery energy system in Malaysia hospital

Abstract

Due to the depletion of fossil fuel reserves, it is feared that the world will run out of its energy resources soon. Besides, unpredictable fluctuation of diesel prices in electricity generation is affecting the economy of a country. Thus, for developing country that's economically leans on the use of energy, renewable energy resources should be utilized to meet the increasing energy demand. In this regards, the cogeneration system using renewable energy sources is appropriate, because it has the advantage of producing both electrical power and heat energy from a single fuel. It is suitable for commercial clients like hospital buildings which requires to supply both electric and heat load. Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess the viability to develop a cogeneration system for a hospital building load in Malaysia. The proposed cogeneration system consists of grid connected photovoltaic (PV), fuel cell, and battery. Hybrid optimization model for electric renewable (HOMER) simulation software is used to perform the techno-economic analysis of the proposed system. The proposed system is then compared with other possible configurations. The economical comparison is based on the total net present cost (TNPC), levelized cost of energy (LCOE), renewable fraction, excess energy production and the pollutant gas emission of the system. The simulation result shows that, the proposed cogeneration system has the lowest TNPC, LCOE and operating cost which are $ 106,551, 0.091 $/kWh and 7245 $/yr respectively. Besides, the proposed cogeneration system is proven environmentally friendly as it only produces total 25,873 kg/yr of pollutant gas. The sensitivity analysis where fuel prices and annual interest rate are considered as sensitive parameters, shows impact on the TNPC and LCOE. Finally, the benefit from the Feed in Tariff (FiT) program provided by the government also has been presented.