Evaluation of Energy, Environmental, and Economic Characteristics of Fuel Cell Combined Heat and Power Systems for Residential Applications

2003 ◽  
Vol 125 (3) ◽  
pp. 208-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Burak Gunes ◽  
Michael W. Ellis
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Life Cycle Cost ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Combined Heat And Power ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Design Parameters ◽  
Single Family ◽  
Chp System

Residential combined heat and power (CHP) systems using fuel cell technology can provide both electricity and heat and can substantially reduce the energy and environmental impact associated with residential applications. The energy, environmental, and economic characteristics of fuel cell CHP systems are investigated for single-family residential applications. Hourly energy use profiles for electricity and thermal energy are determined for typical residential applications. A mathematical model of a residential fuel cell based CHP system is developed. The CHP system incorporates a fuel cell system to supply electricity and thermal energy, a vapor compression heat pump to provide cooling in the summer and heating in the winter, and a thermal storage tank to help match the available thermal energy to the thermal energy needs. The performance of the system is evaluated for different climates. Results from the study include an evaluation of the major design parameters of the system, load duration curves, an evaluation of the effect of climate on energy use characteristics, an assessment of the reduction in emissions, and a comparison of the life cycle cost of the fuel cell based CHP system to the life cycle costs of conventional residential energy systems. The results suggest that the fuel cell CHP system provides substantial energy and environmental benefits but that the cost of the fuel cell sub-system must be reduced to roughly $500/kWe before the system can be economically justified.

Techno-Economic Optimal Design of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Systems for Micro-Combined Heat and Power Applications in the U.S.

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Braun
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Life Cycle Cost ◽  
Combined Heat And Power ◽  
Solid Oxide ◽  
Oxide Fuel ◽  
Chp System ◽  
System Configurations ◽  
System Designs ◽  
The U.S

A techno-economic optimization study investigating optimal design and operating strategies of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) micro-combined heat and power (CHP) systems for application in U.S. residential dwellings is carried out through modeling and simulation of various anode-supported planar SOFC-based system configurations. Five different SOFC system designs operating from either methane or hydrogen fuels are evaluated in terms of their energetic and economic performances and their overall suitability for meeting residential thermal-to-electric ratios. Life-cycle cost models are developed and employed to generate optimization objective functions, which are utilized to explore the sensitivity of the life-cycle costs to various system designs and economic parameters and to select optimal system configurations and operating parameters for eventual application in single-family, detached residential homes in the U.S. The study compares the results against a baseline SOFC-CHP system that employs primarily external steam reforming of methane. The results of the study indicate that system configurations and operating parameter selections that enable minimum life-cycle cost while achieving maximum CHP-system efficiency are possible. Life-cycle cost reductions of over 30% and CHP efficiency improvements of nearly 20% from the baseline system are detailed.

Techno-Economic Optimal Design and Application of SOFC Systems for Residential Micro-CHP Applications in the U.S.

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Braun
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Optimal Design ◽  
Life Cycle Cost ◽  
Operating Parameter ◽  
Cost Models ◽  
Economic Optimization ◽  
Single Family ◽  
Chp System ◽  
System Configurations ◽  
The U.S

A techno-economic optimization study investigating optimal design and operating strategies of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) micro-combined heat and power (CHP) systems for application in U.S. residential dwellings is carried out through modeling and simulation of various anode-supported planar SOFC-based system configurations. Five different SOFC system designs operating from either methane or hydrogen fuels are evaluated in terms of their energetic and economic performance and their overall suitability for meeting residential thermal-to-electric ratios. Life cycle cost models are developed and employed to generate optimization objective functions which are utilized to explore the sensitivity of the life cycle costs to various system design and economic parameters and to select optimal system configurations and operating parameters for eventual application in single-family, detached residential homes in the U.S. The study compares the results against a baseline SOFC-CHP system that employs primarily external steam reforming of methane. The results of the study indicate that system configurations and operating parameter selections that enable minimum life cycle cost while achieving maximum CHP system efficiency are possible. Life cycle cost reductions of over 30% and CHP efficiency improvements of nearly 20% from the baseline system are detailed.

scholarly journals Modelling Sustainable Industrial Symbiosis

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 1172
Author(s):  
Hafiz Haq ◽  
Petri Välisuo ◽  
Seppo Niemi
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Waste Management ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Life Cycle Cost ◽  
Economic Assessment ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Industrial Symbiosis ◽  
Comprehensive Model ◽  
Network Connections

Industrial symbiosis networks conventionally provide economic and environmental benefits to participating industries. However, most studies have failed to quantify waste management solutions and identify network connections in addition to methodological variation of assessments. This study provides a comprehensive model to conduct sustainable study of industrial symbiosis, which includes identification of network connections, life cycle assessment of materials, economic assessment, and environmental performance using standard guidelines from the literature. Additionally, a case study of industrial symbiosis network from Sodankylä region of Finland is implemented. Results projected an estimated life cycle cost of €115.20 million. The symbiotic environment would save €6.42 million in waste management cost to the business participants in addition to the projected environmental impact of 0.95 million tonne of CO2, 339.80 tonne of CH4, and 18.20 tonne of N2O. The potential of further cost saving with presented optimal assessment in the current architecture is forecast at €0.63 million every year.

scholarly journals Life Cycle Cost Analysis of a Single-Family House in Sweden

Buildings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 215
Author(s):  
Bojana Petrović ◽  
Xingxing Zhang ◽  
Ola Eriksson ◽  
Marita Wallhagen
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Life Cycle Cost ◽  
Single Family ◽  
Labor Costs ◽  
Construction Costs ◽  
Economic Parameters ◽  
A Minor ◽  
Family House ◽  
Replacement Operation

The objective of this paper was to explore long-term costs for a single-family house in Sweden during its entire lifetime. In order to estimate the total costs, considering construction, replacement, operation, and end-of-life costs over the long term, the life cycle cost (LCC) method was applied. Different cost solutions were analysed including various economic parameters in a sensitivity analysis. Economic parameters used in the analysis include various nominal discount rates (7%, 5%, and 3%), an inflation rate of 2%, and energy escalation rates (2–6%). The study includes two lifespans (100 and 50 years). The discounting scheme was used in the calculations. Additionally, carbon-dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions were considered and systematically analysed with costs. Findings show that when the discount rate is decreased from 7% to 3%, the total costs are increased significantly, by 44% for a 100-year lifespan, while for a 50 years lifespan the total costs show a minor increase by 18%. The construction costs represent a major part of total LCC, with labor costs making up half of them. Considering costs and emissions together, a full correlation was not found, while a partial relationship was investigated. Results can be useful for decision-makers in the building sector.

scholarly journals Strategies to Improve the Energy Performance of Buildings: A Review of Their Life Cycle Impact

Buildings ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadia MIRABELLA ◽  
Martin RÖCK ◽  
Marcella Ruschi Mendes SAADE ◽  
Carolin SPIRINCKX ◽  
Marc BOSMANS ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Embodied Energy ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Operational Energy

Globally, the building sector is responsible for more than 40% of energy use and it contributes approximately 30% of the global Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. This high contribution stimulates research and policies to reduce the operational energy use and related GHG emissions of buildings. However, the environmental impacts of buildings can extend wide beyond the operational phase, and the portion of impacts related to the embodied energy of the building becomes relatively more important in low energy buildings. Therefore, the goal of the research is gaining insights into the environmental impacts of various building strategies for energy efficiency requirements compared to the life cycle environmental impacts of the whole building. The goal is to detect and investigate existing trade-offs in current approaches and solutions proposed by the research community. A literature review is driven by six fundamental and specific research questions (RQs), and performed based on two main tasks: (i) selection of literature studies, and (ii) critical analysis of the selected studies in line with the RQs. A final sample of 59 papers and 178 case studies has been collected, and key criteria are systematically analysed in a matrix. The study reveals that the high heterogeneity of the case studies makes it difficult to compare these in a straightforward way, but it allows to provide an overview of current methodological challenges and research gaps. Furthermore, the most complete studies provide valuable insights in the environmental benefits of the identified energy performance strategies over the building life cycle, but also shows the risk of burden shifting if only operational energy use is focused on, or when a limited number of environmental impact categories are assessed.

Energy and Economic Analysis for Greenhouse Envelope Design

2018 ◽  
Vol 61 (6) ◽  
pp. 1795-1810
Author(s):  
James Bambara ◽  
Andreas K. Athienitis
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Economic Analysis ◽  
Life Cycle Cost ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Electricity Consumption ◽  
Base Case ◽  
Local Climate ◽  
The North ◽  
North Wall

Abstract. The energy consumption of a building is significantly impacted by its envelope design, particularly for greenhouses where coverings typically provide high heat and daylight transmission. Energy and life cycle cost (LCC) analysis were used to identify the most cost-effective cladding design for a greenhouse located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (45.4° N) that employs supplemental lighting. The base case envelope design uses single glazing, whereas the two alternative designs consist of replacing the glass with twin-wall polycarbonate and adding foil-faced rigid insulation (permanent or movable) on the interior surface of the glass. All the alternative envelope designs increased electricity consumption for lighting and decreased heating energy use except when permanent or movable insulation was applied to the north wall and in the case of permanent insulation on the north wall plus polycarbonate on the east wall. This demonstrates how the use of reflective opaque insulation on the north wall can be beneficial for redirecting light onto the crops to achieve simultaneous reductions in electricity and heating energy costs. A maximum reduction in LCC of 5.5% (net savings of approximately $130,000) was achieved when permanent insulation was applied to the north and east walls plus polycarbonate on the west wall. This alternative envelope design increased electricity consumption for horticultural lighting by 4.3%, reduced heating energy use by 15.6%, and caused greenhouse gas emissions related to energy consumption to decrease by 14.7%. This analysis demonstrates how energy and economic analysis can be employed to determine the most suitable envelope design based on local climate and economic conditions. Keywords: Artificial lighting, Consistent daily light integral, Energy modeling, Envelope design, Greenhouse, Life cycle cost analysis, Light emitting diode, Local agriculture.

A modeling approach for low-temperature SOFC-based micro-combined heat and power systems

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (04) ◽  
pp. 1950001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fida Hussain ◽  
M. Ashfaq Ahmad ◽  
Saeed Badshah ◽  
Rizwan Raza ◽  
M. Ajmal Khan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Power Systems ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Economic Assessment ◽  
Combined Heat And Power ◽  
Hydrogen Gas ◽  
Energy Resources ◽  
Efficient System ◽  
Operating Strategies ◽  
End Use ◽  
Chp System

The world’s challenge is to determine a more efficient, economical and environmental-friendly energy source to compete and replace the ongoing conventional energy resources. Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) provide a highly efficient system to use divergent energy resources and have proved to provide the cleanest energy, least energy use, and lowest emissions. A techno-economic study is required to investigate the model design for SOFC-based micro-combined heat and power (m-CHP) systems for applications in terms of educational and commercial buildings. This work models and explores the optimized application of hydrogen gas-fueled SOFC-based m-CHP systems in educational buildings. Two educational departments’ loads are presented and model of SOFC-based m-CHP system against the different electric power demands is performed, in order to provide a techno-economic assessment of the technology. For successful development of the technology, results are related to system rightsizing, operating strategies, thermal to electric ratios, and match between end-use, with an aim towards classifying the overall feasibility and essential application requirements.

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