Techno-economic assessment of reversible Solid Oxide Cell integration to renewable energy systems at building and district scale

Abstract

Hydrogen is assuming a crescent role in the decarbonising initiatives. Moreover, hydrogen can supply the 3 most energy intense sectors, i.e. transport, heat and electricity, allowing the sector coupling. To do so, a production unit, the electrolyser, and a consumer one, the fuel cell, are needed. Actually, reversible Solid Oxide Cell technology presents the possibility to install only one device acting bi-directionally. It offers different advantages thank to its (i) compact design, thus ensuring space and cost savings; (ii) ability to meet thermal and electric demand, thus reducing emissions in both those sectors; (iii) possibility to store, the electricity excess coming from renewable sources in form of hydrogen, ensuring an unlimited and seasonal storage possibility. In this study, the deployment of a real reversible Solid Oxide Cell was simulated in different scenarios considering the data recorded in one year in the island of Procida, Italy. Up to date, the use of this technology was mostly relegated to the industrial sector or to prototype tests. While, this research aimed to analyse the functioning of near commercialization technology in civil environments such as hotels, offices and hospitals to understand its feasibility in this new context. It wants to be proved that advantages of this emerging technology can be exploited as well in the civil environment. Three economic indicators, i.e. Payback Period, Internal Return Rate and Net Present Value were selected to evaluate the simulated scenarios, while, the primary energy saving, the emission reduction and its storage efficacy were studied to evaluate the environmental achievements. To perform the simulations, the MATLAB model ConfigDym built by Sylfen was used. Finally, a sensitivity analysis in terms of economics was carried out. The results show an important decrease in emissions and an energy self-sufficiency increase of at least 29% and 58% respectively, differently the economic analysis returns a payback period currently near to its lifetime, while for the future a three years period is reachable.

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