Polygeneration System Research Articles

Enhancing a bio-waste driven polygeneration system through artificial neural networks and multi-objective genetic algorithm: Assessment and optimization

This paper aims to study the feasibility of municipal sewage sludge utilization as an energy source in a polygeneration system. This system offers distinctive benefits such as contribution to the principled removal of sewage sludge, simultaneous utilization of raw and digested sludge in different parts of the system, and production of renewable hydrogen from bio-waste. 4E (energy, exergy, exergoeconomic, and environmental) analyses, are performed to understand the system performance comprehensively. Then, parametric studies are examined the impact of changing the values of main parameters on the system operation. Afterward, a multi-objective optimization based on a genetic algorithm is carried out to achieve optimal values, considering a trade-off between the exergy efficiency and the total cost rate. Meanwhile, this work harnesses the potential of artificial neural networks to expedite complex and time-consuming optimization processes. According to the results, the gasifier exhibits the highest rate of exergy destruction, and the primary cost of consumption is attributed to its heat supply. The multi-objective optimization findings show that the optimum point has an exergy efficiency of 38.26 % and a total cost rate of 58.17 M$/year. The hydrogen production rate, energy efficiency, and net power generation rate for the optimal case are determined as 1692 kg/h, 35.24 %, and 4269 kW, respectively. Also, the unit cost of hydrogen in the optimal case is obtained 1.49 $/kg which offers a cost-effective solution for hydrogen production.

Energy and Economic Sustainability of a Small-Scale Hybrid Renewable Energy System Powered by Biogas, Solar Energy, and Wind

Reduction or elimination of reliance on traditional fossil fuels and of the emission of greenhouse gases and pollutants into the environment are affecting energy technologies, systems, and applications. In this context, one potential approach to achieving sustainability, decarbonization, and ensuring the energy and economic viability of existing and future energy systems involves adopting one or more renewable sources. The presented paper concentrates on examining the performance of a small-scale hybrid renewable polygeneration system. This system utilizes biogas produced through anaerobic digestion, which is then supplied to an internal combustion engine, along with solar energy converted into electrical energy by photovoltaic modules and wind energy harnessed through a wind turbine. A small-scale user, represented by residential buildings and a zootechnical farm with heating, cooling, and electrical energy demands, serves as the case study. TRNSYS software is employed to design and model the system, considering realistic assumptions about technical aspects and user energy requirements. The investigation involves analyzing the system’s operation, considering both energy and economic perspectives. The paper discusses the pros and cons of combining biogas, solar, and wind energy in the proposed hybrid system under the considered case study. Despite non-satisfactory economic profitability without incentives, the proposed system allows one to save significant amounts of primary energy and carbon dioxide equivalent emissions.

Renewable Energy Source (RES)-Based Polygeneration Systems for Multi-Family Houses

This research work synthetizes the energy, economic, and environmental aspects of a novel configurational analysis of four polygeneration schemes designed to fulfill the demands of a multi-family building that includes 12 dwellings. The design aims to meet the requirements (water, electricity, heat and cold air) from Renewable Energy Sources (RESs), in particular by selecting photovoltaic and photovoltaic-thermal panels, thermoelectric generators, and biomass as auxiliaries. Electricity is available from the grid, and no electrical storage is planned. Water and cooling may be produced by alternative technologies that configure the polygeneration alternatives. The case study is in Valencia, a coastal Mediterranean city in Spain. The Design Builder Clima estimated demand calculations, and the system performance was modeled in TRNSYS. Desalination was linked by using EES models. Results show that the suggested schemes offer substantial energy and CO2 savings. The innovative life-cycle analysis applied further enhances the cumulative CO2 savings across the four configurations if the impact of the installations is compared with the conventional external supply. The electric option (combining heat pump and reverse osmosis for cooling and desalination) emerged as the most appealing solution due to its reliability, lower investment cost, and environmental impact.

Retrofitting Biomass Combined Heat and Power Plant for Biofuel Production—A Detailed Techno-Economic Analysis

Existing combined heat and power plants usually operate on part-load conditions during low heating demand seasons. Similarly, there are boilers designated for winter use that remain inactive for much of the year. This brings a concern about the inefficiency of resource utilization. Retrofitting existing CHP plants (especially for those with spare boilers) for biofuel production could increase revenue and enhance resource efficiency. This study introduces a novel approach that combines biomass gasification and pyrolysis in a polygeneration process that is based on utilizing existing CHP facilities to produce biomethane, bio-oil, and hydrogen. In this work, a detailed analysis was undertaken of retrofitting an existing biomass combined heat and power plant for biofuel production. The biofuel production plant is designed to explore the polygeneration of hydrogen, biomethane, and bio-oil via the integration of gasification, pyrolysis, and renewable-powered electrolysis. An Aspen Plus model of the proposed biofuel production plant is established followed by a performance investigation of the biofuel production plant under various design conditions. An economic analysis is carried out to examine the profitability of the proposed polygeneration system. Results show that the proposed polygeneration system can achieve 40% carbon efficiency with a payback period of 9 years and an internal rate of return of 17.5%, without the integration of renewable hydrogen. When integrated with renewable-power electrolysis, the carbon efficiency could be significantly improved to approximately 90%; however, the high investment cost associated with the electrolyzer system makes this integration economically unfavorable.

Poly-generation system with waste heat of low-temperature flue gas in power plants based on organic Rankine cycle

Besides fossil energy and water resources, waste heat resources have attracted more and more attention because of their wide distribution and large quantity. This paper studies a system using low-grade waste heat emitted in a coal-fired power plants as the heat source, which coupled with low-temperature organic Rankine cycle (ORC), humidification and dehumidification and desalting system (HDH) and desiccanting cooling system (DCS) with different heat recovery system strategies, aiming at using low-temperature waste heat for power generation, desalting saline wastewater/sea water and providing space cooling for residential systems. The influences of control parameters on system productivity and system performance index were studied. In addition, the effects of different ORC working media on optimal system performance were also studied and discussed. Condenser exergy loss decreased by about 33% compared to an independent ORC system. In the range of control parameters studied, the total gain output of the poly-generation system was increased by about 47% compared to that of the independent system. The system is more productive when using n-Octane and Toluene, and has the highest system performance indicators when using R245fa and R113.

Environmental and exergoeconomic analysis of a low-carbon polygeneration process based on biomass energy, a geothermal source and a high-temperature fuel cell

Abstract By combining renewable energy resources, we can expect higher efficiency from energy systems, which in turn can facilitate their commercialization. In addition, fuel cells are among the clean devices that provide superior performance with zero environmental pollution. Fuel cells can improve the stability of the energy conversion system by storing energy. This paper introduces and analyzes a polygeneration system driven by a biomass fuel and a geothermal source. The system consists of a high-temperature fuel cell coupled with a gasification cycle. In addition, a triple-flash geothermal cycle, a refrigeration unit, and a proton-exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer are used in the bottoming cycle. Accordingly, power, hydrogen, and cooling and heating capacities are considered as products of the system. Energy, exergy, environmental and economic analyses have been applied to evaluate the system. Besides that, the optimal working conditions of the system based on two decision-making methods have been identified. According to the findings, the outputs of power and hydrogen from the polygeneration system were equal to 3880.8 kW and 0.356 kg/h. Also, cooling and heating capacities of 2168.1 and 1534.5 kW can be obtained. Accordingly, the system will be 33.16% and 60.39% efficient in terms of energy and exergy. Further, the total emitted CO2 and product unit cost are 57.75 kg/GJ and 5.802$/GJ. According to the TOPSIS decision-making method, more optimal environmental and cost findings can be achieved than using the LINMAP method.

A low-carbon polygeneration system based on a waste heat recovery system, a LNG cold energy process, and a CO2 liquefaction and separation unit

Abstract Expanding energy conversion plants that simultaneously produce water and energy can address multiple issues in these two major fields. Additionally, utilizing waste heat energy from fossil fuel-driven plants rather than releasing it into the atmosphere can provide both thermodynamic and environmental benefits. A new polygeneration plant that integrates a waste heat recovery process and a CO2 liquefaction and separation process is developed and analyzed through a multi-criteria assessment (thermodynamic, economic, and environmental). The plant is capable of producing several advantageous products, including power, natural gas, desalinated water, and liquefied CO2. The polygeneration plant employs cold energy of liquefied natural gas (LNG) for condensation processes, a novel approach. Results indicate a net power rate of ~41.96 MW, with 166.8, 4912.8, and 972.6 mol/s for liquefied CO2, natural gas, and desalinated water, sequentially. The plant exhibits energy efficiency and exergy efficiency of ~31.6% and ~86.5%, respectively. The cost feasibility shows that electricity production carries a unit cost of 0.0474 US$/kWh, while liquefied CO2 production cost was about 0.0742 US$/kgCO2. The plant is estimated to emit roughly 0.0343 kg/kWh of carbon dioxide. The energy and exergy efficiencies decrease by ~9% and 2%, respectively, as the seawater feed rate increases from 13 to 23 kg/s. A comprehensive comparison indicates that the studied polygeneration plant yields superior economic, thermodynamic, and environmental performance compared to similar facilities. Furthermore, the proposed plant is capable of meeting its own power demands and does not require electricity from the grid.

High efficiency energy supply in residential sector using Fuel Cells

Increasing the overall efficiency of power generation systems has become a priority of research in the field of energy. In this sense, a conventional thermal power plant is able to convert around 33% of the energy contained in the primary fuel into electricity. The rest of the unused energy corresponds to energy dissipated as heat. By contrast, the overall efficiency of polygeneration systems is within 80-90% of fuel utilization. This combined production of heat-cold and electricity can be applied in the residential, industrial and service sectors. Considering the increase in energy efficiency that cogeneration involves, this paper presents an analysis of the possibilities of PEM fuel cells for cogeneration applications. To do this, a set of experimental measurements on a real fuel cell (PEM HP600) has been developed, in order to identify its electrical and thermal aspects, for different loading rates.

Scrutiny of a Bi-evaporator poly-generation system includes distilled water production unit: Comparative study and Bi-objective optimization

While geothermal energy is typically associated with beneficial environmental effects, it is crucial to acknowledge that it can lead to greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, the implementation of geothermal systems should include an environmental assessment. This study presents and evaluates an innovative geothermal-powered bi-evaporator poly-generation system from seven perspectives: thermodynamic, extended-environmental, exergoenvironmental, exergoeconomic, net present value, and bi-objective optimization. The designed ploy-generation system comprises a desalination unit, a unit for extracting hydrogen, and a modified organic flash cycle, all integrated with a single geothermal flash cycle. These subsystems work in unison to create a comprehensive and integrated system for simultaneously generating purified water, green hydrogen, electricity, and meeting refrigeration load requirements. Regarding the findings at the base mode, the designed system is able to generate net power, refrigeration load, distilled water, and H2 production rates of 244.9 kW, 741.4 kW, 0.4443 kg/s, and 1.062 kg/h, respectively. By employing NSGA-II optimization, the values of commodities are substantially increased, which enhanced the poly-generation system product cost and energetic efficiency by 7.13 % and 30.48 %. Also, the net electricity selling price significantly affects NPV, so the payback period reduces to 8.56 years.

Energy analysis and exergy analysis study of a novel high-efficiency wind-hydrogen storage and power generation polygeneration system

This study proposes a novel wind-hydrogen coupled poly generation system. The system consists of alkaline electrolyzers, fuel cells (FC), organic Rankine cycle (ORC), hydrogen compressors, hydrogen turbines, pumps and storage tanks. By the multistage utilization of the waste heat, more electricity, hydrogen and heat energy are provided to the user, and improve the operating conditions of the equipment. The effects of multiple parameters on the system's exergy efficiency and destruction are discussed. The economic and environmental of the system are evaluated. The results show that rising the electrolyzer operating temperatures and ambient temperatures can slightly improve the system's exergy efficiency. Increasing FC operating temperature, the exergy efficiency of FC-ORC and the system rapidly increased to 51.91 % and 58.83 %, respectively. By increasing the hydrogen storage pressure, the system exergy efficiency increases by 6.87 %. The static payback period of the poly generation system is 7.3 years.

Sustainable development and multi-aspect analysis of a novel polygeneration system using biogas upgrading and LNG regasification processes, producing power, heating, fresh water and liquid CO2

Considering biogas upgrading to feed energy systems and its significant impact on the biogas energy density, a novel polygeneration system utilizing biogas from landfill waste is designed, simulated, and studied in this paper. The primary innovation is to design a biogas upgrading technology for a novel multigeneration system using a thermal matching approach. This system is capable of simultaneously generating power, providing heating, producing fresh water, and extracting liquid carbon dioxide in an environmentally sustainable manner, thus resulting in reduced environmental impacts. For this purpose, a cryogenic separation system based on liquefied natural gas cold utilization is employed for biogas upgrading and biomethane separation. The proposed process also consists of a Kalina cycle, an organic Rankine cycle, a multi-effect desalination technology, and a heating provider unit. This system is simulated within the Aspen HYSYS software and is undergone a comprehensive analysis from the viewpoints of energy, exergy, environmental, and economic. The results indicate that the proposed structure achieves energy and exergy efficiencies of 80.91% and 43.76%, respectively. Environmental assessment reveals that the emission intensity is 90.43% lower in polygeneration mode compared to power generation mode, and the system’s net emission is equal to 23,041.51 kg/h. The economic evaluation demonstrates that the total unit cost of products is minimized in polygeneration operation (1.84 $/GJ), while it is highest in power generation condition (7.564 $/GJ). The investigations show that when a system is modified from a single generation to polygeneration, all thermodynamic, economic, and environmental indicators face an improvement.

Thermodynamic analysis of small-scale polygeneration systems producing natural gas, electricity, heat, and carbon dioxide from biomass

Agricultural greenhouses are still heavily dependent on fossil fuel-based products despite the abundant residual biomass at their disposal. This paper presents two novel decentralized systems that can convert biomass simultaneously into synthetic natural gas (SNG), electricity, useful heat, and a CO2-rich stream. To do so, the electricity and H2/O2 production features of reversible solid oxide cells (RSOCs) are exploited. A steam dual fluidized bed (DFB) gasifier is used in the first proposed system, while the second one adopts a simpler oxygen/steam-blown downdraft gasification approach. Thermodynamic simulations using Aspen Plus software reveal that the total polygeneration process efficiency could reach 86.6%, with a CO2 generation capacity exceeding 275g per kilogram of biomass input. If not used inside the greenhouse atmosphere to enhance crop growth, this high-purity CO2 stream could be sequestered/liquefied to render the process carbon negative. The flexibility of the polygeneration systems is investigated through parametric analysis, where maximum SNG efficiencies that are on par with large-scale plants are obtained. The possibility of storing surplus electricity from intermittent sources as chemical energy in SNG is also highlighted.

Distributed Generation of Energy Using Micro Gas Turbines. Polygeneration Systems and Fuel Flexibility.

The use of micro gas turbines (MGT) for on-sitesmall-scale energy production offers a great opportunity forprimary energy saving and reduction of pollutant andgreenhouse gas emissions. These benefits mainly come from thepossibility to locally recover waste heat from exhaust gasespecially for air conditioning thermally activated technologlesand also for their capability to use low heating value gases suchdigester gas. This paper summarises the potential of' micro gas turbines indistributed generation systems to simultaneously producepower, heat and chilled water for air conditioning. Differentconfigurations for coupling micro gas turbines and sorptionsystems will be presented from the conventional hot waterdriven to the directly exhaust gas driven configurations. Themain advantage of these systems is the consumption of wasteheat for refrigeration and air conditioning instead of high costelectricity. On the other hand the use of digester and landfill gas in microgas turbines is very attractive from many points of' view:reduced electrical bill, higher energy efficiency due to on-siteheat recovery, reduction of odours and lower greenhouseemissions. The processing of pig manure to produce biogas isof high interest in geographic areas with a surplus of manurethat can not be naturally absorbed and limits the growth of farmsites. In this paper it is presented a summary of' the state of' theart for the use of biogas in microturbine based cogenerationsystems along with a brief description of the different types offuels that can also be used in microturbines.

Optimizing renewable polygeneration: A synergetic approach harnessing solar and wind energy systems

Transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy ensures a sustainable and green future by limiting greenhouse gas emissions and their nuisance effects. This study proposes a polygeneration system that harnesses renewable energy to produce multiple energy vectors simultaneously and equipped with storage to mitigate the impact of intermittent weather. To perform dynamic analysis, proposed system has been modeled, optimized, and simulated using the transient simulation software TRNSYS®. The designed model has been optimized in GenOpt, linked with TrnOpt, under the weather conditions of Gujrat, Pakistan. The power system is energized by solar photovoltaic, thermal and wind power to produce cooling, heating, electricity, hydrogen, and oxygen as energy vectors, and also provides electric, hydrogen, and thermal storage. Prime movers utilized for energy conversion consists of evacuated glass tube collector, photovoltaic panels, wind energy conversion system, fuel cell, electrolyzer, and absorption chiller, which facilitate air-conditioning, space and water heating, electric power supply for electric vehicle, building load & national grid, hydrogen for internal combustion engines, fuel cell electric vehicle and industrial applications, as well as oxygen for hospitals. The study has shown that thermal collector has 68% efficiency, a solar fraction 0.78, peak outlet temperature 143.77 °C, and generates a total 1399656.25 kJ thermal energy. The wind and photovoltaic systems have maximum efficiencies values 52.24 % and 10.90 % respectively, resulting in the production of 44.8 MWh electric energy. Embracing the synergy of solar and wind power in a polygeneration system holds the key to a sustainable and eco-friendly future.

Research on two novel hydrogen-electricity-heat polygeneration systems using very-high-temperature gas-cooled reactor and hybrid-sulfur cycle

The combination of the hybrid-sulfur (HyS) cycle with a very-high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (VHTR) presents a promising nuclear hydrogen production technology. This study proposes two novel hydrogen-electricity-heat polygeneration systems using VHTR and HyS cycle. A thermodynamic model is developed via energy and exergy analyses. Thermodynamic performance analysis and comparison are conducted on the two systems. For the two systems under design basis condition, the recommended variation range of the split ratio is 0–0.6395 and the hydrogen production rate is 0–55.7 mol/s. For systems 1 and 2, the energy utilization efficiencies are 65.91 % and 64.53 %, and the exergy efficiencies are 68.55 % and 67.36 %, at a hydrogen production rate of 55.7 mol/s. The process heat supply unit, steam generator (SG) and HyS cycle exhibit the top three largest exergy loss coefficients of 6.32 %, 6.26 % and 4.21 % at the split ratio of 0.5; therefore, they are key units for improving system performance. The intermediate heat exchanger's primary-side helium outlet temperature and SG's secondary-side main steam temperature both affect the variation range of split ratio. A slightly lower main steam temperature can increase the maximum hydrogen production rate and maximum energy utilization efficiency.

Thermo-Economic Analysis and Multi-Objective Optimization of a Poly-Generation System Based on Solid Oxide Fuel Cell/Gas Turbine/Multi-Effect Distillation and Absorption Chiller Using Biogas as Fuel

A poly-generation system for cooling, heating, power, and fresh water is proposed, based on SOFC/GT/MED and an absorption chiller, with biogas as fuel. The performance of the system under the designed condition is analyzed using energy, exergy, and economic methods. An efficiency of 69.02% for comprehensive energy utilization and 35.56% for exergy are demonstrated by simulation results under the designed condition. A freshwater production of 469.93 kg/h is achieved, and a cost rate of 22.51 USD/h is incurred by the system. The effects of various parameters on the system characteristics are examined. Multi-objective optimization methods are employed to determine the final optimum operating condition that yields the best results in two schemes with different objectives. In comparison to the initial design, the optimization of the first scheme results in a 4.58% increase in the comprehensive energy utilization rate and a 2.02% increase in the exergy efficiency. However, the cost rate of the entire system increases by 0.63 USD/h. On the other hand, the optimization of the second scheme leads to a 19.51 kW decrease in the total energy output, a 276.38 kg/h increase in the freshwater production rate, and a 0.42 USD/h decrease in the cost rate of the entire system.

Techno-economic analysis of municipal solid waste treatment for poly-generation system

Municipal solid waste (MSW) is characterized by complex composition, low calorific value and high moisture content. Using a single treatment technology is costly and difficult to achieve optimal results. A poly-generation system that integrates classified waste pyrolysis and incineration is proposed, producing fuel, electricity, and steam. The system has been designed and optimized to find the optimal feed ratio and process model. However, the economic performance of the poly-generation system is still unclear. In this work, a techno-economic analysis (TEA) was conducted to evaluate the economic feasibility of the proposed MSW treatment poly-generation system. The annual electricity generated by the poly-generation system is 104.13 GWh. The annual steam generated is 4.91 kt, and the average annual diesel produced is 1.60 kt. The TEA results showed that the total capital investment of the system was 602.07 M¥, and the annual operating cost was 40.63 M¥. The net present value was 93.01 M¥, which is a positive value. The internal rate of return was 10.28 %, which is higher than the benchmark rate of return, indicating that the system is economically feasible. Sensitivity analysis indicated that the internal rate of return was extremely sensitive to fixed capital investment, price of electricity, product yield, and government subsidy. The TEA analysis of poly-generation system provides a fundamental theoretical basis for the feasibility of classified MSW treatment and offers valuable insights for policy makers and investors in the waste management field. Considering the complexity of the waste, future research can be carried out from the environmental aspect, combining both economic and environmental objectives for multi-objective optimization and conducting comprehensive evaluation of the industrial practicability of the poly-generation system.

Thermodynamic evaluation of a state-of-art poly-generation system fueled by natural gas and biomass for cooling, power, and hot water generation

The principal objective of this study was to conduct a thorough examination of the thermodynamic aspects of an innovative combined poly-generation facility, encompassing cooling load, hot water, and power generation cycles, powered by a combination of natural gas and biomass. A distinctive feature was the incorporation of syngas into natural gas to enhance overall plant performance. The plant design comprised three key subsystems: a gasification and combustion chamber, a double-effect absorption chiller, and a supercritical carbon dioxide cycle. Energy and exergy analyses were employed to systematically evaluate the thermodynamic behavior of the plant. The outcomes revealed that the exergy and energy efficiencies, along with the net power output, were determined to be approximately 35 %, 78 %, and 7422 kW, respectively. Additionally, the produced hot water and the coefficient of performance (COP) of the absorption chiller were estimated at around 14.71 kg/s and 1.209. Notably, the gasifier and combustion chamber emerged as the least efficient components of the system, primarily due to their elevated rates of exergy destruction. Furthermore, comprehensive parametric investigations were conducted to elucidate the influence of key variables on plant performance. The analysis indicated that variations in gasification temperature positively impacted the thermodynamic performance of the plant. Moreover, an increase in combustion pressure led to a notable enhancement in the net power output of the facility.

Performance analysis and multi-objective optimization of a novel poly-generation system integrating SOFC/GT with SCO2/HDH/ERC

The SOFC-based poly-generation system is an effective and environmental-friendly technology. To further improve energy efficiency of poly-generation system, a novel poly-generation system is developed based on solid oxide fuel cell/gas turbine (SOFC/GT) as the prime mover and supercritical carbon dioxide (SCO2) Brayton cycle, humidification and dehumidification (HDH) desalination and ejector refrigeration cycle (ERC) as the waste heat recovery units to produce power, cooling and freshwater. In the proposed system, a novel configuration of combining the SCO2 cycle with HDH is applied to recover the waste heat of SOFC/GT hybrid system. A mathematical model is developed to explore the system performances from the energy, exergy and economic perspectives. The effects of key parameters such as fuel flowrate, fuel utilization factor, SOFC operating pressure and temperature, and desalination top temperature on system performances are investigated. Multi-objectives optimization is conducted to obtain the optimal design parameters of the poly-generation system. The results show that the system net power output, cooling capacity and freshwater production are 273.769 kW, 12.997 kW and 24.23 g/s with the total cost being 14.01 $/h under the given condition, respectively. The electrical and exergy efficiencies and total gained output ratio of the system are 68.35 %, 67.23 % and 85.25 %, respectively. The parametric analysis indicates that an appropriate increase in fuel flowrate, fuel utilization factor and SOFC operating pressure and temperature can improve the electrical and exergy efficiency. The optimization results demonstrate that the system exergy efficiency and total cost are 67.48 % and 13.94 $/h.

Techno-economic assessment of a biomass gasification-based polygeneration system for greenhouses

Decentralized biorefineries are an attractive solution to reduce the carbon footprint of agricultural greenhouses, by converting the abundant local residual biomass into value-added products such as biofuels. While the thermodynamic performance of many biomass system configurations has been investigated in the literature, techno-economic assessments are needed to validate the potential of such facilities. This approach is applied to a small-scale polygeneration system for the use-case of a southern Quebec greenhouse. The polygeneration system can produce heat, electricity, methanol, hydrogen, and a CO2-rich stream. A TRNSYS model is used to simulate the heat demand of a 20 000 m2 greenhouse. The work presented here compares the polygeneration system with a conventional solution based on biomass combustion. Nine configurations between 1120 and 5600 kW of thermal output power are investigated for both system types. Twenty-seven market scenarios are generated from the combination of three pricing scenarios for electricity, methanol, and hydrogen: pessimistic, baseline, and optimistic. Fixed capital investment (FCI), operation expenses (OPEX), and NPV are presented. In the most pessimistic market scenario, the best polygeneration system would have an NPV of −8.2 M CAD. In the baseline and optimistic scenarios, the same polygeneration system would have an NPV of 17.6 M CAD and 40.2 M CAD, respectively. By comparison, the best combustion-based solution would have the highest NPV at −5.0 M CAD. Those results highlight that small decentralized polygeneration systems are promising. However, their profitability is heavily dependent on future energy market developments.