Design and comprehensive assessment of an integrated solar–biomass hybrid energy system with intercooled gas turbine and ORC waste heat recovery

This study proposes and evaluates a novel solar–biomass hybrid multigeneration system from thermodynamic, exergoeconomic, and environmental perspectives. The integrated configuration consists of an intercooled gas turbine cycle, a photovoltaic thermal-assisted polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolyzer for hydrogen production, and a waste-heat recovery subsystem incorporating an organic Rankine cycle and a refrigeration unit. In the proposed layout, biomass is used as the primary fuel in the main combustor, while hydrogen is employed in the secondary reheating stage to enhance operational flexibility and overall system performance. Parametric analyses show that the overall energy and exergy efficiencies initially increase with the low-pressure compressor pressure ratio, reaching maximum values of 0.233 and 0.192, respectively. The incorporation of intercooling improves the energy efficiency from 0.214 to 0.233 and the exergy efficiency from 0.174 to 0.192. In addition, increasing the effectiveness of the heat-recovery heat exchanger from 0.70 to 1.00 reduces the total fuel consumption from 0.0335 kg/s to 0.0240 kg/s and decreases the exergy destruction in the primary combustor from 152 kW to 128 kW. Hydrogen integration also improves the environmental performance of the system by reducing the CO ₂ emission rate from 0.01782 kg/s to 0.0098 kg/s, corresponding to a 45% reduction. Exergoeconomic analysis indicates that the PEM electrolyzer is the most cost-intensive component, with a cost rate of 15.65 USD/h. Overall, the proposed system demonstrates strong potential for the sustainable and efficient cogeneration of power, heating, cooling, and hydrogen.