Energy, Exergy and Economic (3E) Analyses of Thermal Power Energy Systems for a Micro-Scale Community in Okotoks, Alberta, Canada

Organic Rankine cycles (ORC) along with renewable energy are an energy solution for a community. The promising features are its modular nature and less dependency on the main grid. Such system is studied to understand the fulfilment of year-round energy needs like district heating, district cooling, and domestic hot water. Solar energy is utilised to run the ORC to generate the required power and cogenerate heat. ORC is also combined with the heat pump (HP) cycle and absorption refrigeration cycle (ARC) to make a comparison for better thermal performance. The prime objective of the study is to achieve power sufficiency where power generation meets the power consumption requirements. The combined cooling, heating, and power generation (CCHP) system is studied based on energy, exergy, and financial analyses for a regional community called Drake Landing Solar Community (DLSC) in Okotoks, Alberta, Canada. For an ORC-ARC system, the annual net work output is 71313 kWh compared to an ORC-HP system, which resulted in 15773 kWh. The levelized cost of electricity is 2.5 US$/kWh for the ORC-ARC system, whereas this cost is 11.55 US$/kWh for the ORC-HP system. The simple payback period is shorter for the ORC-ARC system at 19.7 years, and the discounted payback period is 37.5 years. Results revealed that the ORC-ARC system is a preferred choice to fulfil summer and winter energy requirements for a small community like DLSC.