Modeling and Evaluation of a Solar Trigeneration System With Thermal Energy Storage

A Study

Abstract

In the present study, an on-demand solar combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) system with parabolic trough collector (PTC) and solid-state thermal energy storage (TES) is investigated, which will be demonstrated on-site in 2024 at the Administration Building of the Lavrio Technological and Cultural Park (LTCP) in Attica, Greece, covering the energy needs of the building in form of heating and electricity in winter and cooling during summer. The system is based on a combined Organic Rankine Cycle and an Ejector Cooling Cycle (ORC-ECC), which is modeled and simulated in a steady-state manner while the PTC and TES systems are modeled dynamically, i.e., they are influenced by the thermal inertia of the components, the variable weather conditions of the location, and the defined operating strategies. The ORC-ECC simulation results show an efficiency of up to 14.20 % for the ORC system and a Coefficient of Performance (COP) of 0.10 for the ECC system under defined conditions. The dynamic simulations for the specified operating strategies indicate that on typical sunny days up to 100 % of the consumers' electricity consumption can be covered by the system.