Optimal Design and Management of a Cogeneration System with Energy Storage

Both good system design and suitable management strategies are paramount in the current energy scenario, where many plants are fed by fitful and not predictable renewable sources and/or whose production is strictly connected to the end users demand. For this reason, the study and the optimization of single devices and plants, as well as of integrated systems among producers and users, must be performed, considering the possibility of energy storage and of the conversion among different forms of energy in order to reach the best overall energetic and environmental performance. Small cogenerative distributed plants are particularly interested in these challenges, both in stand-alone and grid-connected configurations. In this paper, the optimal design and management strategy of a cogeneration system composed by a diesel engine, a PV plant, a pack of batteries, a boiler and a pump as turbine is investigated. By applying a model based on the Particle Swarm Theory, the size of the different devices and the operation strategy are simultaneously optimized. The minimization of the overall costs was the problem???s optimization target, while the main constrain was the fulfillment of the users??? request of electricity, heat and water. The most suitable hourly-based operation profile of the devices and the best management strategy of the energy storages were performed.