Renewable smart energy network: A thermoeconomic comparison between conventional lithium-ion batteries and reversible solid oxide fuel cells

Smart energy networks including renewables and energy storage systems are a promising technology for improving the sustainability of residential districts and private mobility. In this work, a smart energy network is analyzed, based on photovoltaic panels, electric energy storage systems, heat pumps and electric vehicles. The system consists of a fully electric residential district, where air-to-air heat pumps are used for space heating and cooling and air-to-water heat pumps provide domestic hot water; a photovoltaic field meets the power load of the residential district, including charging stations for electric vehicles. A district electric energy storage system is included for balancing power supply and demand: two storage technologies are considered and compared in this work: a lithium-ion battery and a reversible solid oxide fuel cell. These systems are modelled and dynamically simulated in Transient Systems Simulation Program (TRNSYS) 18. A case study is discussed, where the proposed systems exhibit promising results in terms of primary energy saving: for example, the renewable energy matches almost 74-77% of the district primary energy demand for the analyzed smart energy districts. Moreover, both the proposed systems achieve very profitable results with a payback period of 3.5-4.4 years. Both the analyzed layouts achieve very similar results.

Automated summary

This article discusses the analysis of a smart energy network, which includes photovoltaic panels, electric energy storage systems, heat pumps, and electric vehicles. The simulation and dynamic modeling of these systems show promising results in terms of energy saving and payback period.