Integrated multigeneration system based on compressed air energy storage for power, cooling, heating, and freshwater production: Thermodynamic, economic, and environmental analysis

This research develops and assesses a solar-powered compressed air energy storage system integrated with hot thermal energy storage and waste-heat recovery units. This work is refocused on the energy storage role of the compressed air energy storage subsystem, including its charging and discharging operation, storage capacity, thermal management, exergy round-trip efficiency, economic performance, and optimized storage operation. The auxiliary organic Rankine cycle, absorption refrigeration cycle, domestic water heating unit, and solar still are treated only as heat-recovery components that improve the utilization of compression heat and turbine exhaust heat, rather than as independent multigeneration objectives. The structure operates through a solar-driven charging phase, in which compressed air and thermal energy are stored, and a discharging phase, in which the stored air is released for power generation. The exergy assessment outlines that the compressed air energy storage subsystem and associated thermal storage components are central to system irreversibility and performance. Under the optimized condition, the system achieves an exergy round-trip efficiency of 20.18%, with 16,042 kWh of discharged power, a fixed capital investment of 2.57 $M, a payback period of 4.24 years, and a net present value of 6.28 $M. The results demonstrate that coupling compressed air storage with thermal energy recovery can improve storage dispatchability, reduce unused thermal losses, and strengthen renewable-energy integration.