Development of a new solar and geothermal based combined system for hydrogen production

A new combined system, using solar and geothermal resources, for hydrogen production, along with power generation, cooling and heating, is proposed and analyzed for practical applications. This combined renewable energy system consists of solar PV/T modules for heating, water heating and hydrogen production purposes and geothermal energy for electricity, cooling and hydrogen production. Energy and exergy analyses are conducted to assess the performance of the cycle, and the effects of various system parameters on energy and exergy efficiencies of the overall system and its subsystems are also studied. The overall energy and exergy efficiencies of the system can reach up to 10.8% and 46.3% respectively for a geothermal water temperature of 210 degrees C. Furthermore, the effects of varying geothermal water temperature and using different type of working fluids on the system performance are investigated. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.