Multi-objective optimization and cost-based output pricing of a standalone hybrid energy system integrated with desalination

Abstract The design and operation of hybrid energy systems, which are relevant to remote islands characterized by energy and water supply shortage, have been extensively investigated. However, determining the costs of different system outputs is still a challenging task. In this study, a multi-objective optimization was performed to obtain the optimal design parameters of a hybrid energy system integrated with desalination. As each consumer demand (inclusive of electrical, cooling, and water demands) is highly coupled to the other, output pricing was performed based on cost allocation using the cooperative game theory. The results show that cooling, electricity, and desalinized water can be co-generated efficiently and economically, and the electrical, cooling, and water demands should bear 13.40%, 53.90%, and 32.70%, respectively, of the annualized costs of the entire hybrid energy system. In the proposed model, the cooling demand has the strongest coupling characteristic, whereas the electrical demand has the weakest, because the electricity waste from the photovoltaic/thermal panels allows easier integration of the cooling demands with other demands, for the consumption of excess solar power.