A solar-driven trigenerational system with thermochemical cycle and thermal energy storage: Case study

This study presents a solar-driven trigeneration system integrated with thermal energy storage and thermochemical cycle for hydrogen production. A case study is potentially developed for the location selected in Edmonton, the capital of Alberta, Canada. The region is strategically important for clean hydrogen production, as it hosts major initiatives such as the Edmonton Region Hydrogen Hub supporting Canada's hydrogen economy. The proposed system includes several subsystems such as parabolic trough solar collector (PTSC), thermal energy storage (TES) tanks, copper-chlorine (Cu Cl) thermochemical cycle, Rankine cycle, and Li Br absorption cooling cycle. The system generates thermal energy through concentrated solar power (CSP) technology, and a continuous operation is ensured through the integration of TES. Electricity is generated by the Rankine cycle, while cooling is provided by a Li Br absorption cooling unit for residential purposes. The Cu Cl thermochemical water splitting cycle produces hydrogen, which is sent to the H 2 refueling station. The PTSC and TES systems are designed utilizing the System Advisor Model (SAM) software. The Aspen Plus software package is also used to simulate other subsystems. The analysis results conclude that the current system is potentially able to generate 49.6 GWh of electricity, 180.7 tons of H 2 , and 4133.9 MWh of cooling annually and that the overall energy and exergy efficiencies are found to be 32.5% and 29.7%, respectively.