A new biomass-solar based energy system with hydrogen production designed for sustainable communities

This article presents the development and evaluation of a newly designed solar-biomass-based multigeneration system with an aim to produce some useful outputs, namely heat, power, hot water, cooling, and hydrogen. The present system comprises various sub-systems, including biomass and solar systems, a Brayton cycle, an organic Rankine cycle, a steam Rankine cycle, and a double effect absorption system. The key processes include the production of biogas and fertilizer through anaerobic digestion and the generation of hydrogen using ultrasonic technology. The facility generates net power output of 5507 kW and 2.2 kg/h of hydrogen. The overall energy efficiency is found to be 58.43 % and the overall exergy efficiency is calculated to be 56.92 %. The steam Rankine cycle in the system has an energy efficiency of 24.46 % and an exergy efficiency of 45.47 %. The organic Rankine cycle demonstrates an energy efficiency of 14.84 % and an exergy efficiency of 46.05 %, respectively. The Brayton cycle shows an energy efficiency of 27.93 % and an exergy efficiency of 39.6 %, respectively. Additionally, the double effect absorption system in the plant has the energy and exergy coefficients of performance of 1.67 and 0.64, respectively. The exergo-environmental evaluation shows that component-level exergy destruction and associated environmental impacts vary with operating conditions. The economic evaluation indicates that the system becomes profitable after 2031, with a net present value of $95.61 million potentially by 2044.