Best time-dependent techno-economic strategy for an energy district

This paper investigates a real Smart Polygeneration Microgrid, designed to satisfy energy demands of the University Campus of Savona (Italy). The plant is made up of (i) two auxiliary boilers (500kWth each), (ii) three micro gas turbines (30kWe, 65kWe and 100kWe), and (iii) an internal combustion engine fed by natural gas (20kWe). The system is also equipped with a thermal storage capacity of 12 m3 and PV panels for a total installed power of 77kWe. Generators are "distributed" around the campus. Since the system is made up of co-generative prime movers, it can supply both electrical and thermal energy to the campus. The analysis of this smart-grid is performed exploiting original software for time-dependent thermoeconomic optimization of poly-generative energy systems. A model of the real plant was built and implemented in the software. The off-design curves of the real devices installed on campus, based on experimental measurements, were used to increase the reliability of the simulation results. The grid was simulated considering the time dependent nature of energy demands throughout the year to identify the best operational strategy. Lastly, after analysing the data for each prime-mover, a modified plant layout was proposed to enhance thermo-economic performance and facilitate replication in other sites.