Techno-economic and environmental assessment of campus energy systems in Amman: The Al-Khwarizmi building case

Abstract

The current study provides a techno-economic and environmental assessment of three different power supply options of the Al-Khwarizmi Building at the Applied Science Private University in Amman, Jordan. These options include conventional power generation through gas firing, gas firing of an Internal Combustion Engine, as well as solid biomass firing of an Organic Rankine Cycle system. Results have been obtained through a monthly quasi-static energy balance modelling approach (using full-load nominal performance parameters for the ICE/ORC units), which was conducted in consideration of the extreme climatic effects of Amman. A comparative study was conducted based on key annual parameters, including fuel usage, CO 2 emissions, operating costs, and power production. This suggests that the ICE system is the most feasible and cost-effective alternative, with an approximate 47.5% reduction in annual operating costs and a 27.3% reduction in CO 2 emissions compared to the traditional system. Although the ORC system is more environmentally friendly under the assumption of utilizing biomass with the consideration of the carbon neutral method, its higher installation costs, with the complication of biomass handling, render the ICE system preferable.