Life Cycle Assessment of an Integrated SOFC System for Cooling, Heating, Power, and Dehumidification

As a sustainable energy solution, polygeneration systems differ from traditional combined heat and power systems in terms of energy, economic, and environmental performance. However, integrated systems that combine cooling, heating, power generation, and dehumidification have yet to be fully explored. This study conducts a life cycle assessment of a natural gas-fueled four-generation system based on a solid oxide fuel cell. Using GaBi software modeling to study materials and energy consumption, output, and emissions during the production, transportation, use, and recycling processes, the system is analyzed by employing two environmental assessment methods, IPCC and IMPACT 2002+. In the IPCC method analysis, the system has an advantage in GWP100 reduction and can significantly reduce CO2 emissions, with a reduction of −5.10 × 107 kg CO2 eq. The 15 midpoint categories of IMPACT 2002+ all show a favorable effect on the environment. Among the damage categories, the indicators for human health, ecosystem quality, climate change, and resources are −3.08 × 101 DALY, −1.96 × 106 PDF·m2·yr, −4.71 × 107 kg CO2, and −1.75 × 108 MJ, respectively. This research proposed a novel cogeneration system that achieves significant resources and energy savings and emission reduction throughout its life cycle, providing a sustainable and effective energy solution that is conducive to environmentally sustainable development.