Investigation of a Community-based Clean Energy System Holistically with Renewable and Hydrogen Energy Options for Better Sustainable Development

This study develops a novel community-based integrated energy system where hydrogen and a combination of renewable energy sources are considered uniquely for implementation. In this regard, three different communities situated in Kenya, the United States, and Australia are studied for hydrogen production and meeting the energy demands. To provide a variety of energy demands, this study combines a multigenerational geothermal plant with a hybrid concentrated solar power and photovoltaic solar plant. Innovations in hydrogen production and renewable energy are essential for reducing carbon emissions. By combining the production of hydrogen with renewable energy sources, this system seeks to move away from the reliance on fossil fuels and toward sustainability. The study investigates various research subjects using a variety of methods. The performance of the geothermal source is considered through energetic and exergetic thermodynamic analysis. The software System Advisor Model (SAM) and RETscreen software packages are used to analyze the other sub-systems including Concentrate Solar, PV solar, and Combined Heat and Power Plant. Australian, American, and Kenyan communities considered for this study, were found to have promising potential for producing hydrogen and electricity from renewable sources. The geothermal output is expected to be 35.83 MW, 122.8 MW for space heating, 151.9 MW for industrial heating, and 64.25 MW for hot water. The overall geothermal energy and exergy efficiencies are reported as 65.15% and 63.54% respectively. The locations considered are expected to have annual solar power generation and hydrogen production capacities of 158MW, 237MW, 186MW, 235 tons, 216 tons, and 313 tons respectively.