As the operations of buildings account for 30% of global final energy consumption and 26% of global energy-related emissions, hybrid solar-biomass trigeneration systems offer a pathway to sustainable and decentralised energy solutions for residential applications. Therefore, in this study, the performance of an innovative micro-scale plant consisting of a 20 kWel/100 kWth Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) system powered by a 440 m2 Linear Fresnel Reflectors solar field and a 130 kWth biomass boiler, integrated with latent and sensible heat Thermal Energy Storage (TES), a battery Electrical Energy Storage (EES), and an absorption chiller for the provision of cooling, heating and power to residential buildings, is investigated through an advanced dynamic model developed in MATLAB/Simulink. In particular, three different control strategies are evaluated: a base-case logic (L1), according to which the EES system is utilised to balance the electric power demand (including supply during outages and storage in case of overproduction) and two alternatives (L2, L3) aimed at improving energy distribution by prioritising EES supply over ORC activation. Seasonal performance variability among the strategies is evident. Under base-case controls (L1), the ORC covers 40−72.5% of electricity demand but faces massive power curtailment during summer due to EES capacity constraints. The deployment of control strategy L2, which prioritises EES activation to cover electricity demand, improves the plant's winter performance, reducing biomass reliance by 4.3% and increasing the utilisation of the latent heat storage capacity. Control scheme L3, which instead ensures priority of the EES to cover the thermal demand, emerges as the most effective strategy achieving annual reductions of 86% in grid exports and 5.8% in biomass consumption, demonstrating superior combination of renewable energy utilisation and overall system efficiency. Therefore, this study highlights the potential of hybrid solar-biomass trigeneration applications at the building-level and the benefits of improving their operation. However, the complexity of the integrated system and its reliance on advanced technologies still result in poor cost-competitiveness.
Dynamic modelling of a small-scale hybrid concentrated solar-biomass trigeneration system for residential applications and comparison of operational strategies
Lombardi, Greta;Cioccolanti, Luca
;Del Zotto, Luca;
2025-01-01
Abstract
As the operations of buildings account for 30% of global final energy consumption and 26% of global energy-related emissions, hybrid solar-biomass trigeneration systems offer a pathway to sustainable and decentralised energy solutions for residential applications. Therefore, in this study, the performance of an innovative micro-scale plant consisting of a 20 kWel/100 kWth Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) system powered by a 440 m2 Linear Fresnel Reflectors solar field and a 130 kWth biomass boiler, integrated with latent and sensible heat Thermal Energy Storage (TES), a battery Electrical Energy Storage (EES), and an absorption chiller for the provision of cooling, heating and power to residential buildings, is investigated through an advanced dynamic model developed in MATLAB/Simulink. In particular, three different control strategies are evaluated: a base-case logic (L1), according to which the EES system is utilised to balance the electric power demand (including supply during outages and storage in case of overproduction) and two alternatives (L2, L3) aimed at improving energy distribution by prioritising EES supply over ORC activation. Seasonal performance variability among the strategies is evident. Under base-case controls (L1), the ORC covers 40−72.5% of electricity demand but faces massive power curtailment during summer due to EES capacity constraints. The deployment of control strategy L2, which prioritises EES activation to cover electricity demand, improves the plant's winter performance, reducing biomass reliance by 4.3% and increasing the utilisation of the latent heat storage capacity. Control scheme L3, which instead ensures priority of the EES to cover the thermal demand, emerges as the most effective strategy achieving annual reductions of 86% in grid exports and 5.8% in biomass consumption, demonstrating superior combination of renewable energy utilisation and overall system efficiency. Therefore, this study highlights the potential of hybrid solar-biomass trigeneration applications at the building-level and the benefits of improving their operation. However, the complexity of the integrated system and its reliance on advanced technologies still result in poor cost-competitiveness.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
