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Economic feasibility analysis of a solar energy and solid oxide fuel cell-based cogeneration system in Malaysia

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Abstract

The current study presents a concept of a cogeneration system integrated with solar energy and solid oxide fuel cell technology to supply electrical and thermal energy in Malaysia. To appraise the performance, the system is analysed with two case studies considering three modes of operation. For the case-1, typical per day average electricity and hot water demand for a single family have been considered to be 10.3 kWh and 235 l, respectively. For the case 2, electricity and hot water demand are considered for the 100 family members. Energy cost, payback period, future economic feasibility and the environmental impact of the system are analysed for both cases using an analytical approach. The overall system along with individual component efficiency has been evaluated, and the maximum efficiency of the overall system is found to be 48.64 % at the fuel cell operation mode. In the present study, the proposed system shows 42.4 % cost effectiveness at higher load. Energy costs for case-1 and case-2 have been found to be approximately $0.158 and $0.091 kWh−1, respectively, at present. Energy costs are expected to be $0.112 and $0.045 kWh−1 for the case-1 and case-2, respectively, considering future (i.e. for the year 2020) component cost.

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Abbreviations

a:

Anode

\(A_{\text{c}}\) :

Area of the receiver cover (m2)

\(A_{\text{r}}\) :

Area of the receiver (m2)

B g :

Flow permeability

c:

Cathode

C p :

Specific heat (kJ kg−1 K−1)

d a :

Anode thickness (μm)

d c :

Cathode thickness (μm)

D :

Diameter (m)

D eff :

Effective diffusion coefficient

E 0 :

Standard potential

F :

Faraday’s constant (C mol)

h :

Specific enthalpy (kJ kg−1)

h c,ca :

Convection heat coefficient (kW m−2 K−1)

h r,ca :

Radiation heat coefficient (kW m−2 K−1

I :

Current (A)

J :

Current density (A m−2)

J o,i :

Exchange current density (A m−2)

L :

Electrolyte thickness (μm)

L c :

Collector’s length (m)

Nus:

Nusselt number

\(\dot{N}\) :

Flow rate (kg s−1)

P :

Pressure (bar)

P 0 :

Partial pressure (bar)

Q :

Heat rate (kW)

R :

Universal gas constant (J mol−1 K−1)

R s :

Series resistance

S :

Solar radiation (W m−2)

T :

Temperature (°C or K)

V :

Voltage (V)

w :

Collector width (m)

\(\dot{W}\) :

Power (kW)

σ :

Stefan–Boltzmann constant (kW m−2 K−4)

ρ :

Density (kg m−3)

μ :

Dynamic viscosity of oxygen

σ i :

Irreversibility loss

α :

Temperature coefficient

β :

Temperature coefficient

η :

Efficiency

HEX:

Heat exchanger

mp:

Maximum power

OC:

Open-circuit voltage

PTSC:

Parabolic trough solar collectors

ref:

Reference

RSOFC:

Reversible solid oxide fuel cell

SOSE:

Solid oxide steam electrolyser

SOFC:

Solid oxide fuel cell

SC:

Short circuit

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to gratefully acknowledge the financial support from the University of Malaya under the High Impact Research MoE Grant UM.C/625/1/HIR/MoE/ENG/22 from the Ministry of Education Malaysia to consummate this research. The authors also cordially acknowledge the grants UMRG RP006G-13ICT and ERGS 53-02-03-1100.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UM Power Energy Dedicated Advanced Centre (UMPEDAC), Level 4, Wisma R&D UM, University of Malaya, 59990, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    R. K. Akikur, K. R. Ullah & H. W. Ping

  2. Centre of Research Excellence in Renewable Energy (CoRE-RE), King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran, 31261, Saudi Arabia

    R. Saidur

  3. Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    S. A. Hajimolana & M. A. Hussain

  4. Solar Energy Technologies, School of Computing, Engineering and Mathematics, Western Sydney University, Penrith South, NSW, 2751, Australia

    R. K. Akikur

Authors
  1. R. K. Akikur
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  2. R. Saidur
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  3. K. R. Ullah
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  4. S. A. Hajimolana
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  5. H. W. Ping
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  6. M. A. Hussain
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Correspondence to R. Saidur.

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Akikur, R.K., Saidur, R., Ullah, K.R. et al. Economic feasibility analysis of a solar energy and solid oxide fuel cell-based cogeneration system in Malaysia. Clean Techn Environ Policy 18, 669–687 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-015-1050-6

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