Thermodynamic and exergoeconomic analyses of a solar-based energy system for the provision of heating, electricity and fresh water

The aim of this paper is to propose a solar based energy system for the provision of heating, electricity and fresh water. The proposed system in this study consists of four main parts: a geothermal based Organic Rankine cycle, a diesel engine, PVT panels and reverse osmosis desalination unit. The system is comprehensively studied from energy, exergy and exergoeconomic viewpoints. Accordingly, parametric study is performed to examine the influence of the effective parameters on the performance and economic indicators and also on the fresh water production. The results show that, by increasing the turbine inlet pressure, the fresh water prodcution rate would increase by 1.3 ton/day. Moreover, increasing the turbine inlet pressure can increase the total power output by around 800 kW. The exergoeconomic results indicate that increasing the mass flow rate of the geothermal brine increases the total cost rate by 200 $/h.