Low-cost Electricity Research Articles

Economic Viability of a 6.5kW Off-grid Solar PV with Various Sun-Tracking Systems in Northern Cyprus: A Case Study

In this paper, an in-depth analysis of small-scale PV in Northern Cyprus is conducted for the first time at 37 locations in Northern Cyprus. No previous study has investigated the viability of off-grid PV systems with various sun-tracking systems in Northern Cyprus. In order to achieve this, NASA POWER data were used for the evaluation of the solar resource in the selected locations. The results showed that the selected locations are suitable for the installation of various scales of PV systems due to the high global horizontal solar radiation. The mathematical modeling method was utilized for the design and analysis of PV systems with various sun-tracking systems and for the assessment of their economic viability and feasibility. Energy production, capacity factor, payback period, and cost of energy production were calculated. The results indicate that the proposed systems are very promising for all the selected locations. The PV projects with a 2-axis sun-tracking system produce a large amount of energy and have a low electricity cost. It was found that the electrical energy cost of the developed systems was within the range of 0.4851-0.6641TL/kWh. The payback periods varied from 4.57 years to 8.49 years, depending on the type of solar PV panel and sun-tracking system. This study provides some useful recommendations for decision-makers regarding the development and deployment of PV energy technology in the country in order to achieve sustainable development goals.

Techno-Economic Feasibility Assessment for the promotion of Grid-Connected Rooftop PV Systems in Botswana: A Case Study

The main aim of the present study is to investigate the solar energy potential and evaluate the economic viability of a 5kW grid-connected rooftop photovoltaic (PV) system as an electricity generation source in three selected regions (Gaborone, Maun, and Tshabong) in Botswana for the first time. In this study, NASA POWER data were used for evaluating the solar potential in the selected regions. The results showed that the selected locations are suitable for the installation of various scales of PV systems due to the high global horizontal solar radiation. RETScreen Expert software was used to assess the techno-economic feasibility of the proposed systems. The performance of the proposed systems with various PV technologies (mono-crystalline silicon and poly-crystalline silicon) is analyzed. Furthermore, economic and financial indicators such as net present value, annual life cycle savings, payback, benefit-cost ratio, and cost of energy production were calculated. The results indicate that the proposed system is very promising for all the selected locations. Additionally, it was found that the PV projects with poly-Si technology produced a large amount of energy and have a low electricity cost compared to mono-Si technology. The results suggest that grid-connected rooftop PV systems have a significant role in covering the electricity demand and in reducing carbon dioxide emissions, especially in high population density and rural regions. This study provides some useful recommendations for decision-makers regarding the development and deployment of PV energy technology in Botswana.

Optimal capacity of solar photovoltaic and battery storage for grid‐tied houses based on energy sharing

AbstractThis paper determines the optimal capacity of solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery energy storage (BES) for a grid‐connected house based on an energy‐sharing mechanism. The grid‐connected house, also mentioned as house 1 where it is relevant, shares electricity with house 2 under a mutually agreed fixed energy price. The objective is to minimize the cost of electricity (COE) for house 1 while decreasing the electricity cost of house 2. Practical factors such as real data for solar insolation, electricity consumption, grid constraint, ambient temperature, electricity rate, and battery degradation are considered based on actual data. The developed methodology is examined by taking the actual load data of two houses in South Australia. Different scenarios of contract years between the houses are investigated to make it more practical in real life. Sensitivity analyses are conducted for the sharing of energy between the houses and by changing parameters like export power limitation, load of houses, and costs of PV and BES. Likewise, operational analysis is done for two days of summer and winter. It is found that when energy sharing is applied, the optimal design of the PV‐BES system will achieve lower COE for both houses.

Multi-objective optimal peak load shaving strategy using coordinated scheduling of EVs and BESS with adoption of MORBHPSO

With increase of electrical vehicles (EVs), carbon emissions and dependence on fossil energy would be reduced. However, uncoordinated charging may further raise the peak load and magnify the load imbalance which will pose a key challenge to the system reliability. Hence, the peak load shaving whereby coordinated optimal scheduling of EVs and energy storage systems (ESS) has attracted more and more attention. And challenges arise in terms of multiple objectives, algorithms with better global searching performance and constraints handling methods. In this paper, the proposed multi-objective optimal peak load shaving strategy aims to achieve the best peak load shaving effect with the minimum electricity cost whereby coordinated scheduling of EVs and battery energy storage systems (BESS). Especially, load balance constraint, charging/discharging power limits considering state of charge (SOC) as well as capacity limits of EVs and BESS, vehicles to grid (V2G), time-of-use (TOU) price and driving behavior of EVs with different types are all considered. The multi-objective random black-hole particle swarm optimization algorithm (MORBHPSO) with adjustable power redundancy method is adopted. Four case studies have been carried out on a regional distribution network with 130 EVs and 20 BESS. And satisfactory results were obtained in terms of better peak load shaving effect (a 70.6 % decrease in load fluctuation level) and better economic benefit (a 40.56 % reduction in electricity cost). Moreover, MORBHPSO performs better than multi-objective particle swarm optimization algorithm (MOPSO) in terms of a 41.47 % decline in load fluctuation level and a 5.44 % decrease in electricity cost with only half the iterations. Furthermore, it is also found that different from the impact of EVs' driving behavior, TOU price is conducive to obtaining smoother load curve and lower electricity cost.

Thermal Analysis of Absorption Air Conditioning Cycle Using Glycerin in Hot and Cold Storage Tanks

Increasing demand for cooling operations in the oil and other sectors, this has led to an increase in electrical energy consumption. The most sustainable solution is to use absorption cooling technology by utilizing solar heat as driving energy instead of electricity. The primary advantage of absorptive cooling is lower electricity costs. In this study, the effect of changing the thermal storage capacities of hot and cold storage tanks and the solar collector area on the performance of the absorption air conditioning cycle was investigated. The optimum operating conditions, the maximum number of processing hours, and the optimum performance coefficient of the absorption conditioning cycle system were selected. The water-lithium bromide solution was used as a fluid in the sorption cycle, and glycerin was used in the hot and cold tank cycle and in the solar collector because it can with stands both high and low temperatures. The simulation process was carried out using (Fortran 90) program with the help of (Port log) program, (Carrier HAP420) program and (Curve Expert) program. The absorption conditioning cycle was simulated during the day to choose the best capacity for hot and cold storage tanks, as well as to choose the solar collector with the best performance factor. Changing the area of the solar collector (from 9.6 m2 to 16.7 m2), and the volume of the hot tank (from 0.55 m3 to 1.4 m3) have been done to provide the maximum temperature that the hot tank can reach with varying expected cooling load per hour, as well as the size of the tank cold (from 0.9 m3 to 1.6 m3) which gets additional cooling capacity, since the effect of these variables was tested separately. According to the research results, the best and most suitable volume for the hot tank is (0.55 m3), and for the cold tank is (1.5 m3), and the best and appropriate area for a solar concentric collector is (11.7 m2), which can provide longer running hours. Finally, the higher the generator's temperature, the higher the system's coefficient of performance (COP). The lowest COP value (0.68) is used to guarantee that the system runs for longer periods of time.

Economics of Open-Source Solar Photovoltaic Powered Cryptocurrency Mining

Solar photovoltaic (PV) technology offers a promising means to alleviate environmental and electricity costs challenges for cryptocurrency miners. To analyze this promise, this study investigated the feasibility of using electricity from individually optimized PV systems to power: 1) an individual Bitcoin miner, 2) a DIY intermodal shipping container holding 50 miners, and 3) a commercial mining farm container holding 408 miners. In a controlled lab environment, miners were monitored for electricity use. Then using these values, numerical simulations of both the PV system yield and sensitivity ranges based on the Bitcoin price, Bitcoin halving events, and miner hardware were investigated for informed financial planning. In addition, sensitivity for geographic locations in North America, utility electric rates and PV capital costs were analyzed. The profitability and return on investment (ROI) varied by location primarily because of the geographic distribution of solar flux and utility rates. The ROI for using PV with Bitcoin mining was found to be negative for Toronto and Montreal because of low-cost electricity, while it was 8% for Calgary. In the U.S. cities evaluated, the ROIs were substantial and ranged from 34% in New York, to 64% in Boulder, and up to 104% in Los Angeles. Although the study is based in North America regarding energy rates, climate, and energy laws, the analysis methodology is generalizable globally and grants the average cryptocurrency business the knowledge to make an informed decision on whether to pursue this venture from a financial and environmental perspective. This study contributes to the body of knowledge in cryptocurrency mining by providing an economic means of environmental preservation by powering cryptocurrency miners with renewable solar energy.

Molten carbonate fuel cell integrated hybrid system for clean and efficient power generation

Thermo-economic and environmental analyses of a hybrid power generation system were performed in this study, which included a biomass steam gasifier, an indirect heated air turbine unit, carbon dioxide separation, capture, and sequestration using a molten carbonate fuel cell, downstream waste heat recovery via organic Rankine cycle, and steam Rankine cycle. Furthermore, multi-objective optimization was performed using response surface methodology to determine the operating state at which the system delivers the highest value of exergy efficiency while also having the lowest cost of electricity. It has been found that the conceptualized system delivers its optimum output when the air compressor operates at a pressure ratio of 9.41, the temperature at the inlet of the air turbine is 1100 °C, the molten carbonate fuel cell operates at 1500 A⋅m−2 current density with 80% fuel utilization, and the heat recovery steam generator pressure is 150 bar. The optimized values of the cost of electricity and exergy efficiency have been found to be 0.0993 $/kWh and 47.46%, respectively. At the optimum condition, the plant generates 1.3 MW power with an energy efficiency of 54.5%, capturing 5052.58 tonnes of CO2 in a year, producing $0.758 million in environmental benefit. It has been found from this study that the optimized hybrid power system yields better exergy efficiency and unit cost of electricity in comparison to the existing conventional biomass-based plants available in the literature.

Techno-economic Assessment of a Hydrogen-based Islanded Microgrid in North-east

Currently, renewable energy-based generators are considered worldwide to achieve net zero targets. However, the stochastic nature of renewable energy systems leads to regulation and control challenges for power system operators, especially in remote and regional grids with smaller footprints. A hybrid system (i.e., solar, wind, biomass, energy storage) could minimise this issue. Nevertheless, the hybrid system is not possible to develop in many islands due to the limited land area, geographical conditions, and others. Hydrogen as a carrier of clean energy can be used in locations where the installation of extensive or medium-scale renewable energy facilities is not permissible due to population density, geographical constraints, government policies, and regulatory issues. This paper presents a techno-economic assessment of designing a green hydrogen-based microgrid for a remote island in North-east Australia. This research work determines the optimal sizing of microgrid components using green hydrogen technology. Due to the abovementioned constraints, the green hydrogen production system and the microgrid proposed in this paper are located on two separate islands. The paper demonstrates three cost-effective scenarios for green hydrogen production, transportation, and electricity generation. This work has been done using Hybrid Optimisation Model for Multiple Energy Resources or HOMER Pro simulation platform. Simulation results show that the Levelized Cost of Energy using hydrogen technology can vary from AU$0.37/kWh to AU$1.08/kWh depending on the scenarios and the variation of key parameters. This offers the potential to provide lower-cost electricity to the remote community. Furthermore, the CO2 emission could be reduced by 17,607,77 kg/year if the renewable energy system meets 100% of the electricity demand. Additionally, the sensitivity analysis in this paper shows that the size of solar PV and wind used for green hydrogen production can further be reduced by 50%. The sensitivity analysis shows that the system could experience AU$0.03/kWh lower levelized cost if the undersea cable is used to transfer the generated electricity between islands instead of hydrogen transportation. However, it would require environmental approval and policy changes as the islands are located in the Great Barrier Reef.

Development of a 12-V Hybrid Powered Rechargeable Lighting System with Intruder Detection and Mobile Phone Charging Units

The availability of stable, reliable, and low-cost electricity is one of the key indices for measuring the socioeconomic growth of any nation globally. However, in a developing economy such as Nigeria, marred by insufficient electricity generation, load shedding, and frequent power outage are common occurrences hindering some basic domestic functions, including lighting and charging, among others, to be performed. Therefore, an alternative solution that can serve as a backup for the conventional electricity supply system becomes imperative. This work developed a 12-V hybrid-powered rechargeable lighting system with intruder detection and USB ports for mobile phone charging. The basic components used in the system development are Arduino Nano (ATMega328) microcontroller, GSM (SIM900D) module, Passive Infra-Red (PIR) sensors, light bulbs, mini 12 V lead-acid battery, and 12 V, 20 W solar panel. Using relevant design equations, circuit designs and data processing were implemented around the ATMega328 microcontroller. The developed system was tested, and the output voltages of the lighting and charging units and the functionality of the intruder detection unit were determined. The developed hybrid-powered rechargeable lighting system operated satisfactorily during testing. The lighting and charging units were functional, giving 12 and 5 V output voltages, respectively. The intruder detection unit was active, producing a buzzing sound and sending an SMS alert to the registered phone number on the detection of an intrusion. The developed system is useful for domestic and other similar applications.

Afforesting arid land with renewable electricity and desalination to mitigate climate change

Afforestation is one of the most practised carbon dioxide removal methods but is constrained by the availability of suitable land and sufficient water resources. In this research, existing concepts of low-cost renewable electricity (RE) and seawater desalination are built upon to identify the global CO2 sequestration potential if RE-powered desalination plants were used to irrigate forests on arid land over the period 2030–2100. Results indicate a cumulative CO2 sequestration potential of 730 GtCO2 during the period. Global average cost is estimated to be €457 per tCO2 in 2030 but decrease to €100 per tCO2 by 2100, driven by the decreasing cost of RE and increasing CO2 sequestration rates of the forests. Regions closer to the coast with abundant solar resources and cooler climate experience the least costs, with costs as low as €50 per tCO2 by 2070. The results suggest a key role for afforestation projects irrigated with RE-based desalination within the climate change mitigation portfolio, which is currently based on bioenergy carbon capture and storage, and direct air carbon capture and storage plants.

Assessment of the barriers towards more rapid development of solar power: the case of Lithuania

Many countries in the world pay special attention to the development of energy from renewable energy sources. However, the efforts made are still insufficient to ensure the desired pace of development. Moreover, independence from fossil fuels is more important than ever in the context of the war in Ukraine. Solar-photovoltaic energy production solutions are particularly attractive for achieving the desired scale of development due to their relatively simple deployment. However, to involve a larger number of prosumers – individuals and communities, it is necessary to further reduce the barriers to such an activity. Although researchers pay considerable attention to the development of energy from renewable energy sources, the topic of solar energy is not so well explored. In addition, it is noted that research on barriers that prevent development should be linked to the situation in a particular country. Therefore, the goal of the research presented in this work is to assess the importance of solar-photovoltaic energy development barriers specific to Lithuania. The literature review was carried out to consider specific barriers to solar energy development and to analyse barriers typical for the development of other sorts of renewable energy. This review allowed us to distinguish barriers relevant to more rapid solar-photovoltaic energy development in Lithuania, dividing them into five groups: (1) economic and financial, (2) policy and regulation, (3) institutional and administrative, (4) information, awareness, and social, and (5) technological barriers. An assessment of the barriers was based on the expert interview method. The individual evaluations of barriers and their rating determined their importance toward more rapid solar-photovoltaic power development in Lithuania. The results obtained during the research made it possible to single out the following main barriers specific to Lithuania: grid capacity and integration into electricity distribution grids; spatial planning and/or zoning rules; permitting, licensing, and approval procedures; changing and/or unclear policies; grid usage fees and their regulation; low electricity price and/or cost of other sources of electricity. In addition, insights into to the ways of their neutralisation or at least reduction were provided pointing out that it should be considered at both the state and municipal levels.

Analysis of Direct Air Capture Integrated with Wind Energy and Enhanced Oil Recovery.

Direct air capture (DAC) is a decarbonization solution to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. The key challenges for accelerating DAC deployment are its energy requirements, high capital costs, and finding low-risk and low-cost sequestration or utilization pathways. Deploying DAC facilities proximal to sequestration or use sites and where the supply of low-cost renewable electricity is plentiful can minimize the energy, transportation, operational, and overall costs. Moreover, the increased 45Q tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 can further incentivize DAC deployment. This work provides a techno-economic assessment of two configurations: temperature swing adsorption-based DAC and membrane-based DAC integrated for operation with wind energy in West Texas to provide proximal access to enhanced oil recovery (EOR) operations. We evaluate the levelized cost of DAC and the cumulative cost of sequestering a ton of CO2 through EOR to identify opportunities for economic viability. Finally, we determine the profitability of CO2 sequestration under different EOR recovery factors and oil prices. We find that opportunities to reduce costs through proximal sequestration, integration with renewable energy, and the current level of policy support in the US can significantly incentivize and rapidly accelerate the deployment of DAC, especially for membrane-based technologies.

A multi-agent reinforcement learning approach for investigating and optimising peer-to-peer prosumer energy markets

Current power grid infrastructure was not designed with climate change in mind, and, therefore, its stability, especially at peak demand periods, has been compromised. Furthermore, in light of the current UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports concerning global warming and the goal of the 2015 Paris climate agreement to constrain global temperature increase to within 1.5–2 °C above pre-industrial levels, urgent sociotechnical measures need to be taken. Together, Smart Microgrid and renewable energy technology have been proposed as a possible solution to help mitigate global warming and grid instability. Within this context, well-managed demand-side flexibility is crucial for efficiently utilising on-site solar energy. To this end, a well-designed dynamic pricing mechanism can organise the actors within such a system to enable the efficient trade of on-site energy, therefore contributing to the decarbonisation and grid security goals alluded to above. However, designing such a mechanism in an economic setting as complex and dynamic as the one above often leads to computationally intractable solutions. To overcome this problem, in this work, we use multi-agent reinforcement learning (MARL) alongside Foundation – an open-source economic simulation framework built by Salesforce Research – to design a dynamic price policy. By incorporating a peer-to-peer (P2P) community of prosumers with heterogeneous demand/supply profiles and battery storage into Foundation, our results from data-driven simulations show that MARL, when compared with a baseline fixed price signal, can learn a dynamic price signal that achieves both a lower community electricity cost, and a higher community self-sufficiency. Furthermore, emergent social–economic behaviours, such as price elasticity, and community coordination leading to high grid feed-in during periods of overall excess photovoltaic (PV) supply and, conversely, high community trading during overall low PV supply, have also been identified. Our proposed approach can be used by practitioners to aid them in designing P2P energy trading markets.

Electrochemical Dechlorination of Municipal Wastewater Effluent.

The use of sodium bisulfite as an electron donor to quench chloramine disinfectant residuals in municipal wastewater effluents prior to discharge incurs the cost of purchasing and transporting bisulfite to the utility and increases the loading of salts to the receiving water. In this study, degradation of chloramine residuals within authentic municipal wastewater effluents was achieved within a 30 min timescale using a reductive electrochemical reactor, which supplied electrons via a stainless-steel cathode under galvanostatic conditions without an ion exchange membrane separating the cathode and anode. Application of a 0.26 mA/cm2 cathodic current density reduced chloramines to ammonia and avoided oxidation at the IrO2-coated titanium anode of chloride to chlorine or chlorate and of ammonia to nitrite or nitrate. Net chloramine production was observed at a higher current density (2 mA/cm2). Chloramine degradation rates and Coulombic efficiencies were highest and electrical energy per order (EEO) values were lowest for the 304-grade stainless-steel cathode, which contains the highest nickel content, and for a stainless-steel cathode with a high surface area. Differences in ionic strength and pH were less important. For chloraminated municipal wastewater samples, the highest Coulombic efficiency was 4.1% and the lowest EEO value was 0.08 kWh/m3. An initial comparison indicated that the electricity cost associated with this EEO value would be comparable to the cost of sodium bisulfite for areas with low electricity costs.

Development and assessment of a low-emissions gas turbine system for power utilities incorporating intercooling and solar preheating

• 1. Two novel solar-hybrid gas turbines with high compression ratios are proposed. • 2. The novel cycles use PTCs to preheat the compressed air before their combustors. • 3. A high solar share of 24.3% and lower CO2 emissions of 28.14 can be achieved. • 4. The novel cycles have high efficiencies and low electricity costs. • 5. The novel cycles have low fuel consumption rates with short payback periods. Literature shows that using medium-temperature solar collectors, such as parabolic trough collectors (PTCs), to heat the gas turbine's compressed air before it enters the combustion chamber is unfeasible with high-pressure ratio gas turbines. This is because the compressor's outlet air temperature exceeds the solar field's maximum operating temperature. In this study, PTCs technology was integrated into intercooled gas turbine cycles to solve this problem. Intercooling a gas turbine improves its performance and allows for solar energy integration of PTCs. Two inventive solar preheated intercooled gas turbine power plants with a high-pressure ratio of 37 have been proposed and investigated: solar preheated single-intercooled gas turbines (SP-IcGT single ) and solar preheated double-intercooled gas turbines (SP-IcGT double) . Under design and off-design operation conditions, the plants' performance and optimal solar field area were evaluated. A comprehensive economic and environmental analysis of the novel cycles was also conducted and reported. The study shows that the solar integration of PTCs with intercooled gas turbines is a promising technique, providing a fuel-based efficiency of 54% for the SP-IcGT double and 51.3% for the SP-IcGT single . In addition, the analysis shows that the novel cycles have a high solar share, save more fuel, and are more environmentally friendly than solar-preheated conventional gas turbines. SP-IcGT double saves 28.2% and SP-IcGT single saves 19.3%. The SP-IcGT double and SP-IcGT single consume 6675 and 7017 kJ/kWh, respectively, compared to 9500 kJ/kWh for solar preheated conventional gas turbines in the previous literature. Furthermore, the economic analysis shows positive prospects for solar preheated intercooled gas turbine projects. The SP-IcGT double has a payback period of 6.409 years and the SP-IcGT single has 5.545 years. Overall, the solar integration of PTCs with intercooled gas turbines is an attractive technology in Sunbelt countries.

Investigation regarding the application of the titanium electrode for the water treatment plant in a steel manufacturing plant.

Hard water causes problems in the industry since the deposits inside pipes and equipment lead to lower plant efficiency and electricity costs. The growing demands for high-quality water necessitate the development of modern and cost-effective technologies for softening very hard water. One of these techniques is the electrocoagulation process (EC). This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of the electrocoagulation (EC) process for removing scale ions in water using titanium rod electrodes. The research was carried out on pilot electrodes. The results that were obtained have focused on showing the effectiveness and efficiency of the application of titanium electrodes for removing hardness from makeup and process water inside a closed system, utilizing a Universal Environmental Technologies system (UET system). The plant consisted of a heat pump, heat exchanger, cooling tower, and Universal Environmental Technologies reactor with a titanium rod.

Scaling up the electricity access and addressing best strategies for a sustainable operation of an existing solar PV mini-grid: A case study of Mavumira village in Mozambique

Access to electricity in a sustainable, affordable, and reliable manner is still a challenge, especially for rural communities in developing regions. In this study, we applied the HOMER Pro software for scaling up electricity and finding the optimum system that can satisfy the future electricity demand cost-effectively. Additionally, we analyzed the aspects that could influence the sustainability of the project, based on selected indicators, to address the best strategies for future improvements in the system performance. The main source of information for this research was the data collection in the study area through interviews with 35 individuals, including the owners of households, revenue collectors, and local governance selected based on their level of involvement and also their knowledge about the project. We focused on the solar PV mini-grid system installed in Mavumira village in Mozambique. Our results showed that among various configurations analyzed, hybrid solar PV/diesel/battery is the most appropriate system, as it presents the lowest cost of electricity (LCOE) of 0.47 $/kWh compared to other solutions, such as diesel-only with 0.63 $/kWh. Moreover, we found that in the future, the system will require less government subsidy than today's case, as the optimized future system is 1.3 times more expensive than the expected future tariff (0.37 $/kWh). By investigating the sustainability of the project, we found that, on a scale from 1 to 5, the economic and social indicators like economic activities and safety scored high (5 and 4, respectively), meaning that they are likely to ensure the project's performance over its lifetime, compared to the technical and institutional indicators like the reliability of power supply and effectiveness of local governance, which were attributed low-performance scores (1 and 2, respectively). These last aspects need to be adequately addressed, through local skills for operation and maintenance, to avoid failure in the system.

Comparative exergoeconomic analysis of atmosphere and pressurized CLC power plants coupled with supercritical CO2 cycle

Recently, the incorporation of chemical looping combustion (CLC) and sCO2 Brayton cycle has been regarded as a promising technology for clean and efficient power generation. The intrinsic characteristics of the CLC reactors (interconnected circulating fluidized bed or fixed bed) allow them to operate at different pressures, leading to different technological directions. Therefore, a pair of “CLC coupled sCO2 cycle” systems was proposed, namely the atmosphere CLC (A-CLC-sCO2) and pressurized CLC (P-CLC-sCO2). The purpose of this paper is to determine which configuration holds more benefits from a combined exergetic and economic perspective. The operational boundary conditions for thermodynamic advantage of P-CLC-sCO2 over the optimized A-CLC-sCO2 was firstly investigated. Under respective optimal conditions, the exergy efficiency of P-CLC-sCO2 (51.09%) was found to be 1.16% higher than that of A-CLC-sCO2 (49.91%). Besides, the P-CLC-sCO2 exhibited a lower levelized cost of electricity (79.59 $/MWh) than A-CLC-sCO2 (81.31 $/MWh) when using a nickel-based oxygen carrier (OC), but the A-CLC-sCO2 could further reduce LCOE to 78.93 $/MWh by adopting ilmenite-based OC. In addition, the exergy and exergoeconomic analysis of the main components was carried out to find the system improvement strategies.

Comparative techno-economic study of typically combustion-less hydrogen production alternatives

A techno-economic study is performed for a large scale combustion-less hydrogen production process based on Steam Methane Reforming (SMR). Two process versions relying on different renewable heat sources are compared: (1) direct solar heating from a concentrated solar power system, and (2) radiation from resistive electrical heaters (electric SMR). Both processes are developed around an integrated micro-reactor technology, incorporating in a monolithic block most sub-processes needed to perform SMR. A baseline techno-economic scenario with low-cost feedstock and electricity, priced at $4/MMBtu and $0.04/kWh respectively, results in an LCOH of $2.31/kgH2 for solar SMR and $1.59/kgH2 for electric SMR. Results further show that solar SMR is currently more attractive economically than electric SMR coupled with distributed wind power systems, but electric SMR is more favourable in the long term due to the expected future improvements in the LCOE and capacity factor of wind power systems.

Optimal selection of energy storage system sharing schemes in industrial parks considering battery degradation

With the continuous deployment of renewable energy sources, many users in industrial parks have begun to experience a power supply–demand imbalance. Although configuring an energy storage system (ESS) for users is a viable solution to this problem, the currently commonly used single-user, single-ESS mode suffers from low ESS utilization efficiency and unsatisfactory investment costs. ESS sharing refers to the joint investment and operation of a set of ESSs by multiple users, which can effectively improve ESS utilization and economic benefits. In the industrial park environment, ESS sharing has multiple schemes that involve different ESS installation structures and energy-sharing methods. Therefore, this study determines the optimal ESS-sharing scheme in an industrial park through the construction of load optimization model and comparative analysis. Several typical ESS-sharing schemes were first established based on different ESS installation structures and energy-sharing methods for comparative analysis. Then, based on each scheme characteristic, a corresponding load optimization model that minimizes the total electricity cost in the industrial park was constructed, after which a simulation experiment was conducted using real historical data. The results indicated that the centralized ESS scheme resulted in lower electricity costs and greater utilization compared to other ESS-sharing schemes, as its cost savings and utilization could reach approximately 18.10 % and 60.75 %, respectively. Despite the resulting increase in energy losses, increasing the proportion of centralized ESS is the most effective method of improving ESS performance.