Development and comprehensive analyses of a hybrid solar–geothermal driven polygeneration system: Thermodynamic, exergoeconomic, and emergoenvironmental aspects

The present research proposed an innovative polygeneration system that uses solar, geothermal, and natural gas energy to produce power, heat, steam, and freshwater. The system consists of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell, an organic Rankine cycle, and a multi-effect thermal desalination system. The study included thermodynamic, exergy, exergoeconomic, exergoenvironmental, emergy-based exergoeconomic, and emergy-based exergoenvironmental factors in its comprehensive evaluation of the system. Results underscored the financial aspect of the organic Rankine cycle and cogeneration system, incurring costs of 0.4518 $/s and 1.054 $/s respectively, while also highlighting the system's capability to produce 6 kg/s of freshwater. The environmental impact rates were quantified for the organic Rankine cycle and cogeneration system at 0.1417 and 0.4814 pts/s respectively, situating the system within its ecological context. Further, the study detailed the total efficiency and net power output of the organic Rankine cycle and cogeneration system, ranging between 32.45–33.51% and 43.25–45.83% for efficiency, and 56956–56322 kW and 50174–51898 kW for net power output r espectively, showcasing the system's operational capacity. A parametric analysis was also integral to the study, examining the impact of key parameters on the functionality of the proposed system, thereby providing a nuanced understanding of the system's performance under varying operational scenarios.