A comprehensive thermodynamic, economic, and environmental analysis of a novel parabolic trough solar-driven multigeneration system for generating power, hydrogen, and freshwater

The depletion of conventional energy sources and associated environmental challenges drive the imperative shift towards renewable alternatives. Among these, solar energy emerges as a prominent, abundant, and cost-effective resource. This study introduces an innovative solar-driven multigeneration system, meticulously evaluated through energetic, exergetic, exergoeconomic, and exergo-environmental perspectives. The proposed system aims to concurrently generate power, produce heat, and yield hydrogen and freshwater for diverse applications. In a detailed case study, the system demonstrates a total output power of 14.86 MW, a freshwater production rate of 40.22 kg/s, and an energy efficiency of 19.81%. Exergy analysis reveals a total destruction of 81.48 MW, in which the parabolic trough solar collectors contribute to a significant share of 85.8%. The exergoeconomic assessment yields a payback period of 4.01 years, while the product exergo-environmental impact stands at 185.89 Pts/h. Also, the mass fraction of the high-temperature organic Rankine cycle has the main impact on the system's performance indexes. Furthermore, a comprehensive parametric study explores the impact of key design variables on system performance, employing a multi-objective particle swarm optimization algorithm and proper decision-maker to identify optimal operating conditions.