Techno-economic feasibility study of a solar-powered distributed cogeneration system producing power and distillate water: Sensitivity and exergy analysis

To satisfy the increasing demand for energy and potable water, large-scale cogeneration is widely integrated. However, in remote locations, the lack of power system infrastructure limits the integration of large-scale systems. Consequently, a large portion of inhabitants has no access to electricity and the pressure on groundwater resources increases drastically. To address this power and water scarcity, a distributed cogeneration system consisting of a solar-powered micro Gas Turbine and desalination system is considered. Since the integration of solar energy in distributed cogeneration systems is uncertain, we performed a feasibility study. This paper covers the modelling, sensitivity and exergy analysis and 3 desalination systems designs, each making a trade-off between smaller plant size and higher performance. Introducing solar energy in the micro gas turbine results in an increase in electrical efficiency by 3.2% absolute. The proposed designs achieve a levelized cost of water between 1.78$/(m3/d) and 1.92$/(m3/d), which is comparable with conventional solar-powered desalina-tion plants. Therefore, these designs demonstrate the feasibility of integrating solar energy in distributed cogeneration systems and provide a promising solution towards cost-efficient, renewable-based power and water cogeneration in remote locations. The future work will enhance the economic analysis by including an intermittent solar energy supply.