Authors: Yiji Lu

 

Abstract:

Rising global demand for sustainable, low-carbon energy has driven growing interest in integrating diverse renewable and clean energy sources into building systems. This study proposes a innovative multi-energy hybrid system that integrates combined cooling, heating, and power technology with absorption refrigeration and ground source heat pumps, powered by a combination of solar, wind, geothermal, hydrogen, and natural gas. A coupled TRNSYS-DeST dynamic simulation is developed to capture hourly dynamic interactions between multiple energy inputs and HVAC subsystems over a full year. A comprehensive 4E (energy, exergy, economic, and environmental) lifecycle assessment is conducted, considering seasonal load profiles and evaluating the system’s performance over its entire lifecycle. Furthermore, a multi-objective optimization using response surface methodology is carried out to identify optimal system configurations, aiming to balance efficiency, cost, and emissions. The optimized system achieves an energy efficiency of 84.2 %, a primary energy saving rate of 72.2 %, a power self-sufficiency rate of 125 %, a levelized cost of product of 0.022 $/kWh, a net present value of 341,221.58 a sustainability index of 7.88, and a pollutant emission reduction rate of 33.32 %. These results demonstrate the feasibility and substantial potential of multi-energy complementary systems in delivering low-carbon, cost-effective, and sustainable energy solutions for buildings.

 

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