Integrated Multigeneration System Research Articles

Multi-objective optimization design of a solar-powered integrated multi-generation system based on combined SCO2 Brayton cycle and ORC using machine learning approach

In order to reduce the use of fossil fuels and meet the needs of different energy products, this paper proposes an integrated multi-generation system that can produce power, cooling, and freshwater. A mathematical model is established to analyze the system performance from the perspectives of energy, exergy and economics. Different machine learning algorithms are used to develop prediction models of the system performance. By comparing the predictive performance of different machine learning models, the optimal model is obtained to replace the thermodynamic model of the proposed system to accelerate the optimization process. The results show that the backpropagation neural network (BPNN) model demonstrates the highest predictive accuracy and the lowest relative error fluctuation. When comparing the multi-objective optimization results of the BPNN model with those of the thermodynamic model, it can be observed that the results achieved through both models are very close. Furthermore, the optimization time using the BPNN model is significantly shorter than the thermodynamic model. Finally, under the conditions of solar radiation intensity of 950 W/m2, heliostat field area of 1000 m2, and heat source temperature of 838.15 K, the total product output, thermal efficiency, exergy efficiency, and levelized cost of energy at the final optimal point obtained through BPNN model-based optimization are 2.486 MW, 26.16 %, 23.64 %, and 0.105 $/kWh, respectively. The net power output, cooling capacity, and freshwater flow rate are 2.006 MW, 131.06 kW, and 8.27 m3/h, respectively.

Introducing and performance evaluation of a novel Multi-Generation process for producing Power, fresh Water, oxygen and nitrogen integrated with liquefied natural gas regasification and carbon dioxide removal process

The objective of this paper is to develop and evaluate a new integrated multigenerational system comprised of cryogenic air separation, hydrate-based desalination, combined cycle and oxyfuel power plants, carbon dioxide amine absorption, and transcritical carbon dioxide power cycle, employing liquefied natural gas cold energy. This integrated multi-generation system, applicable for liquefied natural gas importer terminals with access to seawater, produces approximately 2,533 MW net output power and 1,985 kg/h fresh water. In addition, this integrated multi-generation process produces 16,735,861 kg/h high-purity liquid oxygen (100 mol%), 4,773,633 kg/h liquid nitrogen with 99.71 mol% purity, more than 31,724,465 kg/h high-purity gaseous nitrogen (99.9 mol%), and 90,903,230 kg/h low-purity gaseous nitrogen (83.38 mol%). About 5907.3 MW of produced power is generated by liquefied natural gas expander. The performance of this system is evaluated by energetic methods. The results of energy analysis show the specific energy consumptions of the air separation products are 0.551 kW/kg and 1.93 kW/kg for liquid oxygen and nitrogen, respectively. Moreover, in the hydrate-based desalination subsystem, the specific energy consumption is 0.5 kW/m3 for produced pure water. The combined cycle power plant includes two gas turbines, three steam turbines, and a three-pressure level heat recovery steam generation. The thermal efficiencies of gas turbine cycles (Bryton), steam turbine cycles (Rankine) and combined power cycles are 26.3 %, 29.6 %, and 36.2 %, respectively. The flue gases from power plants enter the carbon dioxide amine absorption subsystem. The separated carbon dioxide is used as a working fluid to produce 372.1 MW power in transcritical carbon dioxide cycle. The results of energy analysis for carbon dioxide amine absorption subsystem show that the specific energy consumption, the ratio of captured carbon dioxide per unit mass of liquefied natural gas and the carbon dioxide removal efficiency are 6.60 kW/kg, 33.91 kg/tone, and 90.06 %, respectively. Approximately 2,905,000 kg/h of liquid carbon dioxide is obtained as the byproduct of this multi-generation process. Additionally, sensitivity analysis is conducted to determine key parameters influencing the main energetic indexes. Finally, the amount of attainable regasified natural gas reaches 257,523 tone/h by applying this multi-generation system with total 86 % energy efficiency.

Advancing energy transition with novel biomass-solar based multigeneration energy system using hydrogen and storage options for sustainable cities

An integrated energy system is designed to produce various useful products, such as hydrogen, electricity, heat and cooling. This integrated plant utilizes various subsystems; solar power system, biomass energy system, steam Rankine cycle (SRC), Brayton cycle (BC), organic Rankine cycle (ORC), double-effect absorption system (DEAS), reverse osmosis system, and sonohydrogen production unit. The specific energetic, exergetic, economic and environmental impact assessment studies are carried out to evaluate the system's performance and sustainability. The engineering equation solver (EES) is used for these studies. The energy efficiencies for the BC, ORC and SRC are recorded as 29.69 %, 10.49 %, and 30 %, respectively. In regard to exergy efficiency, the BC, ORC and SRC achieve the following: 46.74 %, 62.73 %, and 53.43 %, respectively. Furthermore, the DEAS attains energetic and exergetic COPs of 1.67 and 0.65, respectively. Additionally, the overall system's energy and exergy efficiencies are found to be 37.68 % and 71.25 %, respectively. The results from the thermal energy storage system indicate that the heat production begins at 7:00 a.m., and the charging of the storage unit commences two hours after and continues until 5:00 p.m., in coinciding with the availability of sunlight. The economic analysis demonstrates that with an initial investment of $53.80 million, the integrated multigeneration system achieves a net present value ranging from $6.87 million to $173.4 million across different hydrogen selling prices, from $7000 to $13,000 per ton up to 2054.

A new system for hydrogen and methane production with post-combustion amine-based carbon capturing option for better sustainability

In the present paper, a novel integrated multigeneration system is developed to produce hydrogen and methane simultaneously driven by a renewable energy source. Besides, this system captures carbon dioxide from a coal power plant through an amine-based absorber and stripper. Also, solar energy is set to provide the heat required for the system. The generated power is used for different purposes from the coupled Brayton-Rankine combined cycle. There are two methods of iron-based chemical looping with four reactors and steam methane reforming, which are integrated into the system to produce hydrogen and store it at the same time. After gaining enough heat and electricity from mixing and heating the CO2 and H2, the methane is then produced, stored or used for different purposes during the system. This system primarily utilizes solar energy to produce the required heat of the system which is suitable for sunny locations. The governing and balance equations are employed to determine the energy and exergy efficiencies, methane and hydrogen production rates and carbon capture percentage as 48 %, 32 %, 0.0048 kg/s and 0.004 kg/s and 80 % carbon capturing.

Techno-economic assessment of a novel integrated multigeneration system to synthesize e-methanol and green hydrogen in a carbon-neutral context

A novel and efficient multigeneration system aiming to achieve near-zero CO2 emissions is proposed. The system employs a methanol production process utilizing captured CO2 from the flue gas of a biomass-gasification plant. The proposed system successfully generates green H2 through water electrolysis, supported by thermal power, with a portion of the hydrogen reacting with CO2 to produce e-methanol. Additionally, the system produces other valuable products, including power, cooling, O2, and CO2, in a coherent manner, benefiting from a low-emission framework and exhibiting high thermodynamic performance. The proposed multigeneration system consists of a biomass-gasification-based power plant, a water electrolyzer, a methanol generation unit, a carbon capture unit, and a steam jet ejector-based refrigeration cycle. The integrated multigeneration system is analyzed from the energy, exergy, and economic aspects. The results demonstrate the system's ability to achieve production rates of 430.25 kg/h of e-methanol and 190 kg/h of green H2. Furthermore, the energy and exergy efficiencies of the system are found to be 78.13% and 71.63%, respectively. The CO2 emissions analysis reveals that the proposed system significantly reduced total CO2 emission to 78.5% (0.61 kgCO2/kg). The total cost of production is estimated to be 0.087 $/kg.

Multi-aspect evaluation of a novel double-flash geothermally-powered integrated multigeneration system for generating power, cooling, and liquefied Hydrogen

An integrated renewable geothermal-driven multigeneration system is demonstrated in the present evaluation, consisting of a double-flash geothermal unit, a modified dual-pressure organic Rankine cycle, a Proton exchange membrane electrolyzer, and a Claude Hydrogen liquefication subsystem. The proposed system is examined from various standpoints, and the performance of the system is quantified through the output parameters. Besides, a case study is performed to evaluate the operation of the system in a specified state. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis is conducted to follow the behavior of the system under different conditions. Furthermore, a multi-objective particle swarm optimization algorithm is employed to define the optimum solutions. The results of the study bring out a total generated cooling load of 2.27 MW, a net output power of 10.48 MW, and a liquefied Hydrogen rate of 37.83 kg/h. Also, exergetic efficiency and exergy destruction rate values of 55.89 % and 9.39 MW are obtained, respectively. The exergoeconomic and exergoenvironmental outputs are discussed through a total cost rate of 482.62 $/h, a payback period of 3.27 years, and a product exergy-related environmental impact rate of 9.84 Pts/h.

Thermodynamics Analysis of a Membrane Distillation Crystallization Ion Recovery System for Hydroponic Greenhouses Assisted with Renewable Energy

Sustaining agricultural demands is a typical problem, particularly in locations afflicted by the scarcity of fresh water, poor farming soil, and hot weather. The main goal of this study is to perform a thermodynamic analysis of an integrated multigeneration system containing a direct contact membrane distillation crystallization system that recovers beneficial hydroponic farming nutrients from seawater using renewable energy resources. A parametric study is carried out to determine the impacts of various factors on the system, such as changing the rate of mass flow rate, recovery ratio, and salinity. This study proposes a novel sustainable multigeneration system for seawater desalination and ions recovery using the direct contact membrane distillation crystallization system to provide the hydroponic solution and greenhouse ventilation using the dual evaporator vapor compression refrigeration system. With overall exergy efficiency and energy efficiency of 41.40%, and 39.80%, respectively, the system requires about 1182.69 kW and 5314.6 kW of electrical and thermal power in total, respectively, to desalinate 5 kg/s of seawater and recover 170 mg/s of Sulfate (SO4), 81.28 mg/s of Magnesium (Mg), 25.48 mg/s of Calcium (Ca), and 24.16 mg/s of Potassium (K), yielding about 4.4 kg/s of a hydroponic solution, and ventilating 25 greenhouses with a volume of 600 m3 of single greenhouse.

Biomass fueled chemical looping hydrogen generation, high temperature solar thermal and thermochemical energy storage hybrid system

Over the past decades, environmental and atmospheric pollution have become a significant global issue. Considering the non-renewable resources in the energy supply sectors that are responsible for a major part of these pollutions, makes the situation only worse. Therefore, switching to power generation systems operating on renewable resources with little to none environmental contamination seems more urgent and attractive than ever. In this study, an integrated multi-generation system utilizing two types of clean and renewable fuels is presented. A novel system design comprising a concentrated solar thermal subsystem integrated with a thermochemical energy storage subsystem and a zero-emission subsystem using chemical looping technology for cogeneration of electricity, hydrogen, and heat is investigated. The produced syngas is divided into two parts to fuel the solid oxide fuel cell subsystem for power generation and the chemical looping subsystem for hydrogen production. An extensive performance analysis is conducted to evaluate the effects of various parameters on the system's performance in order to determine the optimal values which are reported. The solar subsystem simulated using Engineering Equation Solver software resulted in 77.69 % and 79 % for the receiver thermal efficiency and field optical efficiency, respectively. Also, the storage subsystem simulated using Aspen Plus software resulted in a maximum round-trip efficiency of 79.34 %. More, the produced power in the SOFC subsystem and the Lower heating value of the generated hydrogen are found to be 5099 kW and 6124.45 kW, respectively. The values of the SOFC, electrical, hydrogen production, total, net total, and CO2 separation efficiency rates are realized as 71.2 %, 51.21 %, 92.19 %, 60.57 %, 54.72 %, and 100 % respectively.

Design and detailed examinations of a geothermal-biomass driven integrated multigeneration system with CO2 capturing unit: Stability and 4E evaluations

This study develops a unique multigeneration hybrid monoethanolamine (MEA)-based CO2-capture unit powered by geothermal energy and biomass to provide green hydrogen, electricity, a heating effect, a cooling effect, and freshwater. The thermodynamic, thermoeconomic, and environmental methodologies are used to assess the project of this multigenerational plant by employing EES software. This assessment reveals that this plant is capable of delivering green hydrogen at a rate of 122.4 kg/h, while the carbon-capturing unit captures 6.77 kg/h. The energy efficiency and exergy efficiency of the system are respectively determined to be 77.08 percent and 10.47 percent. In addition, the platform's sustainability index, exergo-environmental impact improvement, and the total product cost rate are 1.06, 0.11, and 1.59 $/s, sequentially. Then, some parametric experiments are conducted to observe how this plant behaves under different operational conditions. One conclusion is that improving the high-temperature heat exchanger intake quality is economically advantageous for the system. In addition, a rising tendency in the system's sustainability has been seen once the plant operates at greater geothermal fluid temperature and ambient temperature.

Towards Global Cleaner Energy and Hydrogen Production: A Review and Application ORC Integrality with Multigeneration Systems

The current evidential effect of carbon emissions has become a societal challenge and the need to transition to cleaner energy sources/technologies has attracted wide research attention. Technologies that utilize low-grade heat like the organic Rankine cycle (ORC) and Kalina cycle have been proposed as viable approaches for fossil reduction/carbon mitigation. The development of renewable energy-based multigeneration systems is another alternative solution to this global challenge. Hence, it is important to monitor the development of multigeneration energy systems based on low-grade heat. In this study, a review of the ORC’s application in multigeneration systems is presented to highlight the recent development in ORC integrality/application. Beyond this, a new ORC-CPVT (concentrated photovoltaic/thermal) integrated multigeneration system is also modeled and analyzed using the thermodynamics approach. Since most CPVT systems integrate hot water production in the thermal stem, the proposed multigeneration system is designed to utilize part of the thermal energy to generate electricity and hydrogen. Although the CPVT system can achieve high energetic and exergetic efficiencies while producing thermal energy and electricity, these efficiencies are 47.9% and 37.88%, respectively, for the CPVT-ORC multigeneration configuration. However, it is noteworthy that the electricity generation from the CPVT-ORC configuration in this study is increased by 16%. In addition, the hot water, cooling effect, and hydrogen generated from the multigeneration system are 0.4363 L/s, 161 kW, and 1.515 L/s, respectively. The environmental analysis of the system also shows that the carbon emissions reduction potential is enormous.

Development and analysis of a clean methane production system

In the presented study, the design for a new renewable integrated multigeneration system that is capable of producing natural gas as well as methane is proposed. The multigeneration system harnesses solar energy through the implementation of a solar power tower and receives its electrical energy input by harnessing wind energy from horizontal axis wind turbines. The designed system is capable of storing the thermal energy collected from the solar tower through the integration of a molten salt storage sub-system containing a hot and cold storage tank. The methane produced from the system is renewably synthesized. This is essentially achieved from the syngas generated through the combustion of biomass, and the H2 gas that was produced from the electrical input from wind energy to a polymer electrolyte membrane system. The system is expected to perform at its best from May to July, due to the greatest wind velocity, hours of daylight, and solar radiation available during these months. Additionally, the useful outputs produced from the system consist of electrical power, heat for space heating, cooling and domestic hot water. During normal operating conditions, the system has an overall energy and exergy efficiency of 61% and 28.64%, respectively during its heating mode. Additionally, the system has an energetic and exergetic COP of 0.546 and 0.135 during the heating mode and an energetic and exergetic COP of 4.661 and 0.4934 during the cooling mode. Moreover, numerous parametric studies are performed to identify how the system operates during different operating conditions.

Development of a novel combined energy plant for multigeneration with hydrogen and ammonia production

In order to meet the energy and fuel needs of societies in a sustainable way and hence preserve the environment, there is a strong need for clean, efficient and low-emission energy systems. In this regard, it is aimed to generate cleaner energy outputs, such as electricity, hydrogen and ammonia as well as some additional useful commodities by utilizing both methane gas and the waste heat of an integrated unit to the whole system. In this paper, a novel multi-generation plant is proposed to generate power, hydrogen and ammonia as a chemical fuel, drying, freshwater, heating, and cooling. For this reason, the Brayton cycle as prime unit using methane gas is integrated into the s-CO2 power cycle, organic Rankine cycle, PEM electrolyzer, freshwater production unit, cooling cycle and dryer unit. In order then to evaluate the designed integrated multigeneration system, thermodynamic analyses and parametric studies are performed, revealing that the energy and exergy efficiencies of the whole plant are found to be 69.08% and 65.42%. In addition, ammonia and hydrogen production rates have been found to be 0.2462 kg/s and 0.0631 kg/s for the methane fuel mass flow rate of 1.51 kg/s. Also, the effects of the reference temperature, pinch point temperature of superheater, combustion chamber temperature, gas turbine input pressure, and mass flow rate of fuel on numerous parameters and performance of the plant are investigated.

Thermo-environ study of a concentrated photovoltaic thermal system integrated with Kalina cycle for multigeneration and hydrogen production

Unlike steam and gas cycles, the Kalina cycle system can utilize low-grade heat to produce electricity with water-ammonia solution and other mixed working fluids with similar thermal properties. Concentrated photovoltaic thermal systems have proven to be a technology that can be used to maximize solar energy conversion and utilization. In this study, the integration of Kalina cycle with a concentrated photovoltaic thermal system for multigeneration and hydrogen production is investigated. The purpose of this research is to develop a system that can generate more electricity from a solar photovoltaic thermal/Kalina system hybridization while multigeneration and producing hydrogen. With this aim, two different system configurations are modeled and presented in this study to compare the performance of a concentrated photovoltaic thermal integrated multigeneration system with and without a Kalina system. The modeled systems will generate hot water, hydrogen, hot air, electricity, and cooling effect with photovoltaic cells, a Kalina cycle, a hot water tank, a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer, a single effect absorption system, and a hot air tank. The environmental benefit of two multigeneration systems modeled in terms of carbon emission reduction and fossil fuel savings is also studied. The energy and exergy efficiencies of the heliostat used in concentrating solar radiation onto the photovoltaic thermal system are 90% and 89.5% respectively, while the hydrogen production from the two multigeneration system configurations is 10.6 L/s. The concentrated photovoltaic thermal system has a 74% energy efficiency and 45.75% exergy efficiency, while the hot air production chamber has an 85% and 62.3% energy and exergy efficiencies, respectively. Results from this study showed that the overall energy efficiency of the multigeneration system increases from 68.73% to 70.08% with the integration of the Kalina system. Also, an additional 417 kW of electricity is produced with the integration of the Kalina system and this justifies the importance of the configuration. The production of hot air at the condensing stage of the photovoltaic thermal/Kalina hybrid system is integral to the overall performance of the system.

Investigation of a new integrated system for multiple outputs with hydrogen and methanol

In this study, an integrated multigeneration system that can produce hydrogen, electricity, heat, and methanol simultaneously is thermodynamically investigated. This integrated multigeneration system consists of three subsystems, namely: (i) electrolyzer, (ii) thermal power plant; and (iii) methanol production reactor. Energy and exergy analyses of all system components, as well as the sustainability analysis of the whole system, is performed thoroughly. The integrated system's thermodynamic performance is thoroughly investigated by changing some critical operational and environmental parameters in parametric studies. Based on the results of this study, recommendations for better energetic, exergetic, and environmental performance are presented for better sustainability. The results of this study show that the integrated multigeneration system is capable of producing hydrogen, heat, electricity, and methanol with overall energetic and exergetic efficiencies about 68% and 47%, respectively.

Development and Assessment of Renewable Energy–Integrated Multigeneration System for Rural Communities in Nigeria: Case Study

AbstractThis research designed a multigeneration system that meets the energy requirement of a rural community in Nigeria. This system is powered by the biogas produced from maize silage and chicke...

Thermodynamic analysis of energy storage supported multigeneration system

AbstractThis article investigates the thermodynamic performance of a solar‐powered integrated multigeneration system with thermal storage. It aims at evaluating the effect of thermal storage on the overall performance of a multigeneration system. A solar heliostat field system, thermal energy storage, Rankine power cycle, electrolyzer, and a double effect absorption chiller make up the multigeneration system. Energy and exergy analyses of the system are performed, and the energy and exergy efficiencies are found to be 35.03% and 27.9%, respectively. The solar heliostat and receiver system obtained 3500 kW of heat, the thermal storage system had a thermal efficiency of 87.4% with the capacity to store 2700 kWth energy for 12 hours, the Rankine cycle produced 1068 kW of electricity and the electrolyzer which receives 20% of the net power produced was able to generate 0.0009035 kg/s of hydrogen. The absorption chiller also produced 271.9 kW of cooling. Furthermore, a parametric study was carried out to observe the effect of varying factors like direct normal irradiance (DNI), the mass fraction of the steam bled from the turbine (j), the pressure of the high‐temperature generator (HTG) inlet steam, and a combination of the DNI and the pressure of the HTG inlet steam on the system performance. While an increase in the DNI led to an improved thermal and exergetic efficiency, the addition of storage led to an increase of 27.7% in the utilization factor of the multigeneration system which means that the performance of the system is increased over time.

Analysis and Assessment of A Biomass Energy-Based Multigeneration System with Thermoelectric Generators

This study demonstrates comparative energy and exergy analyses of an advanced biomass energy-based integrated multigeneration system with two innovative embodiments of thermoelectric generators. These two systems uniquely integrate the configurations of thermoelectric generators for better performance. System 1 incorporates an integration of the thermoelectric generators at the exhaust of the gas turbine. In system 2, thermoelectric generators are considered at the inlet of organic Rankine cycle 1. The heat rejected at the low temperature interface of the thermoelectric devices generates the electricity through organic Rankine turbine 2. Some of the electricity produced by thermoelectric generators is used to operate an electrolyzer to produce hydrogen. The utilization of thermoelectric device developed in system 2 increases the energetic and exergetic efficiencies of the overall multigeneration system and organic Rankine cycle 1. Also, the net amount of work output by organic Rankine cycle 1 of system 2 is improved greatly. Furthermore, the design configurations of the thermal system and the influence of operating conditions on the energy and exergy efficiencies of the multigeneration system and organic Rankine cycle are investigated for comparative assessments. The present results show that an increase in combustion temperature improves the work rate by turbines and thermoelectric generators appreciably. In addition to this, the overall energetic and exergetic efficiencies of system 1 are found to be 73.4% and 33.3%, respectively, whereas for system 2 these efficiencies are enhanced in the order 74.5% and 34.02%, respectively. The net amount of work output by organic Rankine cycle 1 in embodiment 2 is improved from 8023 kW to 8908 kW. The highest amount of exergy destruction (accounting for 91.5%) occurs in the gas turbine of system 1 followed by organic Rankine cycle 1 (accounting for 6.64%) of system 2. The proposed system has superior and unique features as compared to conventional systems with thermoelectric generation.

Development, analysis and performance assessment of a combined solar and geothermal energy-based integrated system for multigeneration

In this paper, a novel solar and geothermal energy-based integrated multigeneration system is proposed for multigenerational product plan. The system includes two ORC (organic Rankine cycle) power turbines, two thermal energy storage systems, an absorption chiller, a heat pump for space heating and a drying system. The present system is analyzed thermodynamically through energy and exergy methodologies, and the performances of the systems and subsystems are assessed incorporating energy and exergy analyses specifically for four cases; single generation, cogeneration, tri-generation and multigeneration. Both exergy destruction and losses in sub-embodiments and hence in the overall system are determined. Several design parameters, including the mass flow rate and temperature of the geothermal fluid, turbine inlet pressure, and ambient conditions, are varied to evaluate their effects on energy and exergy performances. The energy and exergy efficiencies of this proposed system, while working on multigeneration mode, are found to be 51% and 62%, respectively, whereas these efficiencies on single generation mode are in the order of 22% and 54%, respectively. This proposed system is superior to conventional single-source-based systems.

Thermoeconomic analysis of a solar-biomass integrated multigeneration system for a community

A multigeneration system using solar and biomass energy, for a sustainable community is presented and assessed through energy and exergy analyses. Electricity, space heating, cooling and hot water are the useful outputs of the system. A detailed parametric study is conducted to see the impacts of changing key parameters on the overall system and its subsystems. The values of energy and exergy efficiencies of the overall system are determined as 91.0% and 34.9%, respectively. An optimization is carried out to confirm that the net present cost of the electric power system is approximately $ 2,700,496 and that the levelized cost of electricity is $ 0.117/kWh. The results obtained from this study confirm that the present hybrid system is more efficient and economic compared to the cases where there are solar and biomass systems running individually.

Techno-economic assessment of a renewable energy based integrated multigeneration system for green buildings

A multigeneration system, which consists of wind turbine, concentrated solar collector, organic Rankine cycle, and ground source heat pump, is proposed, analyzed and assessed energetically and exergetically for residential applications. The useful outputs of the system are electricity, hot water, heating and cooling. The proposed system is designed for a green building and evaluated with energy and exergy efficiencies. The effects of varying several parameters on the energy and exergy efficiencies of the system are investigated. Furthermore, the levelized cost of electricity and net present cost are determined, and the proposed system is optimized based on these parameters. The optimization determines the net present cost to be $345,481 and the levelized cost of electricity to be $0.181/kWh. The energy and exergy efficiencies of the overall system are found to be 46.1% and 7.3%, respectively.