Real-Time Modeling of a Solar-Driven Power Plant with Green Hydrogen, Electricity, and Fresh Water Production: Techno-Economics and Optimization

Solar energy is important for the future as it provides a clean, renewable source of electricity that can help combat climate change by reducing reliance on fossil fuels via implementing various solar-based energy systems. In this study, a unique configuration for a parabolic-trough-based solar system is presented that allows energy storage for periods of time with insufficient solar radiation. This model, based on extensive analysis in MATLAB utilizing real-time weather data, demonstrates promising results with strong practical applicability. An organic Rankine cycle with a regenerative configuration is applied to produce electricity, which is further utilized for hydrogen generation. A proton exchange membrane electrolysis (PEME) unit converts electricity to hydrogen, a clean and versatile energy carrier since the electricity is solar based. To harness the maximum value from this system, additional energy during peak times is used to produce clean water utilizing a reverse osmosis (RO) desalination unit. The system’s performance is examined by conducting a case study for the city of Antalya, Turkey, to attest to the unit’s credibility and performance. This system is also optimized via the Grey Wolf multi-objective algorithm from energy, exergy, and techno-economic perspectives. For the optimization scenario performed, the energy and exergy efficiencies of the system and the levelized cost of products are found to be approximately 26.5%, 28.5%, and 0.106 $/kWh, respectively.