An integrated approach to green power, cooling, and freshwater production from geothermal and solar energy sources; case study of Jiangsu, China

Abstract

This paper introduces an innovative integration of geothermal and solar energies to assess the production of power, cooling, and freshwater. These products are achieved through a modified absorption refrigeration cycle, a modified organic Rankine cycle, and humidification-dehumidification subsystems driven by a flash-binary configuration. The performance of the setup is evaluated using both thermodynamic and economic approaches. Additionally, three multi-objective optimizations are applied to determine a suitable optimal state. The approaches reveal net power, cooling, and freshwater production rates of 807.3 kW, 1345 kW, and 7.96 kg/s, respectively. The designed setup requires a total capital investment cost of $2,490,310 and has a payback period of 5.76 years in the base mode. The study highlights that the temperature difference of superheating significantly impacts the total capital investment cost and exergy efficiency, while the cooling production is mainly influenced by the evaporator temperature. The final optimal state achieved an exergy efficiency of 15.98 % and a net present value of $1,999,864. Overall, this innovative hybrid geothermal-solar setup demonstrates a viable solution for sustainable energy production, combining power generation, cooling, and freshwater production in a single integrated system. The findings support the system's potential for real-world applications, particularly in regions with suitable geothermal and solar resources.