Development and techno-economic assessment of a trigeneration system based on the gas turbine and solar energy for peak shaving of the power grid

The escalating demands in sectors like steel production and the waning availability of non-renewable energy resources highlight the urgent necessity for sustainable and resilient energy solutions. In this changing landscape, localized energy generation systems, particularly combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) systems, emerge as a strong candidate to facilitate independent energy production. Our study involved the development and evaluation of an advanced CCHP system combining a gas turbine and a concentrated solar photovoltaic (CPVT) unit. This system notably enhances the efficiency of both heating and cooling operations through innovative waste-to-energy conversions and a heat transformer incorporated in the CPVT setup. We examined the system’s thermodynamic and energetic principles alongside a detailed techno-economic assessment to establish its economic feasibility. Our results reveal that the proposed system efficiently provides heating, cooling, and electricity, particularly in peak demand intervals, with energy and exergy efficiencies of 51.05% and 29.42%, respectively. The solar photovoltaic component further supported cooling efficiency, demonstrating a performance coefficient of 0.8058. Given the current surge in global electricity costs, our system offers a hopeful alternative, promising sustainable and independent energy solutions at competitive rates, thus indicating a path forward in the enduring energy crisis.