Superstructure approach for the design of renewable-based utility plants

This work evaluates the local integration of the renewable resources for the supply of utilities by designing a renewable-based utility plant, which couples different technologies within a steam and power network. A superstructure was developed and a mixed-integer nonlinear programming model was formulated, with the aim of selecting the technologies that process solar, wind, biomass and waste sources to meet the demand for power and steam that minimize the total annual cost of the system. Two case studies, one in Mexico and another one in Scotland, were considered. Results show that the biomass boiler provides the most economical cogeneration scheme. Resource availability plays a major role in the technology selection. As the biomass availability decreases, the solar technologies become the best choice to produce steam and power. The renewable-based utility plant shows a significant reduction in CO2 emissions. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.