Techno-economic assessment of bifacial photovoltaic and geothermal based multigeneration system for cleaner communities

Abstract

This study proposes an integrated renewable energy based multigeneration system for fresh water, heating, electricity and fuel requirements of a community with a greenhouse in Gokcebayir, Canakkale, Turkey. Solar and geothermal sources are used as renewable energy resources while sea source is employed in the desalination process to produce fresh water. The bifacial photovoltaic and hydrogen subsystems are integrated to transfer excess daytime photovoltaic electricity to hydrogen gas as an energy storage medium that is employed as hydrogen fuel for hydrogen vehicles and proton-exchange membrane fuel cell for electricity production during the lack of solar radiation. Geothermal energy system is integrated with photovoltaic subsystem and hydrogen subsystem to create more reliable energy system due to its continuous characteristic, and to provide various outputs such as heating via residential heat pump and fresh water via multi effect distillation desalination system. The bifacial photovoltaic modules are employed in two novel arrays which are the top of the greenhouse and an enhanced albedo field 1.3 MWp photovoltaic plant. The pitch distance and height determinations are made specifically for bifacial photovoltaic plant arrays in terms of solar electricity gain. The proposed bifacial photovoltaic plant is analyzed, modeled and integrated with hourly electric load, thermal load and hydrogen subsystem. The proposed system supplies electricity to a community with 150 households and a greenhouse. 1642 MWh annual electricity demand and 485 MWh annual thermal load is met at the 0.058$/kWh levelized cost of energy with 7938 kg annually produced hydrogen and 14551 kg daily fresh water. The proposed system poses 4.29% internal rate of return where 0.21% electricity could not meet due to the insufficient electricity availability especially during winter months at 39°47′N latitude, 26°15′E longitude.