Investigation of a community-based clean energy system holistically with renewable and hydrogen energy options for better sustainable development

Abstract

This study develops a novel community-based integrated energy system where hydrogen and a combination of renewable energy sources are considered uniquely for implementation. In this regard, three different communities situated in Kenya, the United States and Australia are studied to cover their needs potentially by producing hydrogen, biogas, power, residential space and industrial heating, hot water and fresh water. where a multigenerational geothermal plant integrated with a solar power plant (using both concentrated solar power (CSP) and photovoltaic (PV) panels) is considered to provide the energy inputs. Innovations in hydrogen production and renewable energy are essential for reducing carbon emissions. By combining the production of hydrogen with renewable energy sources, this system seeks to move away from the reliance on fossil fuels and toward sustainability. The study investigates various research subjects using a variety of methods. The performance of the geothermal source is considered through energetic and exergetic thermodynamic analysis. The software System Advisor Model (SAM) and RETscreen software packages are used to analyze the other sub-systems, including CSP and PV units and a combined heat and power plant. The Australian, American, and Kenyan communities considered for this study are found to have promising potential for producing hydrogen and electricity from renewable sources. The geothermal output is expected to be 35.83 MW for electrical power, 122.8 MW for space heating, 151.9 MW for industrial heating, and 64.25 MW for hot water. The overall multigenerational geothermal energy and exergy efficiencies are reported as 65.15% and 63.54% respectively. These selected communities are expected to have annual solar power generation and hydrogen production capacities of 158 MW, 237 MW, 186 MW, 235 tons, 216 tons, and 313 tons respectively.