Strategies Used for Developing Micro-CCHP Structures in Residential and Public Buildings

Abstract

The current paper deals with the efficient use of the fossil fuels in the context of DER/DG concept through a unitary approach of the necessary electrical power and thermal energy of an urban residential quarter and proposes the use of micro-CCHP (trigeneration of electrical power, heat and cooling) systems. An analysis of the consumption structures of electrical power and natural gas is provided for the specific conditions of Romanias’ South-Eastern regions. The paper contains a case study which highlights the imbalance between electrical and thermal consumption throughout a year. It also includes a strategy of designing the micro-CCHP systems according to the ratio between generated electrical power and thermal power (P/Pth) by the system and the same ratio for the consumers previously analyzed. The paper presents a proposed structure of micro-CCHP which has, as basic, thermal engines with fuel cells as well as the overall thermal result of the systems’ forecast for the critical seasons - winter/summer.