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Performance analysis of a novel solar-assisted liquid CO2 energy storage system with flexible cooling, heating and power outputs: Energy, exergy, economic, and environmental aspects

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  • Su, Wei
  • Jiao, Keqing
  • Jin, Xu
  • Liu, Zhongyan
  • Zhang, Xiaosong

Abstract

Compressed gas energy storage systems in liquid form have garnered significant attention from scholars due to their potential to overcome geographical limitations and enhance energy storage density. Liquid CO2 Energy Storage (LCES) represents a promising technology in the realm of energy storage, with favorable physical properties of carbon dioxide compared to the complex liquefaction process of air. Nonetheless, the performance of these systems is constrained by factors such as compression heat and the thermal efficiency of the expander. To address these limitations, in this study an innovative solar thermal-assisted hybrid LCES system (STH-LCES) is proposed, which integrates an Absorption Refrigeration Cycle (ARC), an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC), and an Absorption Heat Pump (AHP). This integrated system harnesses a portion of the compression heat to provide flexible cooling, heating, and power generation tailored to the needs of different seasons. Utilizing the developed models, a comprehensive examination and comparison of the energy, exergy, economic, and environmental performance of the LCES-ARC (during summer), LCES-ORC (during transition seasons), and LCES-AHP (during winter) configurations are conducted. The results show that the system achieves the highest Electrical Round-trip coefficient (ηRT) of 175 % and an Energy Generated per Unit Volume of Storage of 29.96 kWh/m3 during transition seasons. The LCES-AHP system demonstrates the highest energy conversion coefficient (ηecc) of 40.82 % and exergy efficiency (ηex) of 52.74 %. Furthermore, the Total Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOS) for STH-LCES is 0.1585 $/kWh and the payback time is 7.95 years.

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  • Su, Wei & Jiao, Keqing & Jin, Xu & Liu, Zhongyan & Zhang, Xiaosong, 2025. "Performance analysis of a novel solar-assisted liquid CO2 energy storage system with flexible cooling, heating and power outputs: Energy, exergy, economic, and environmental aspects," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 324(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:324:y:2025:i:c:s0360544225016524
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2025.136010
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