Thermo-ecological assessment of microgrid supported with renewable energy

The current energy policy stresses the need for ongoing technological advancements towards more sustainable energy systems. Microgrids powered by renewable energy are key solutions to achieving this goal. This article presents a detailed Thermo-Ecological Cost (TEC) analysis of a microgrid integrating various renewable resources, such as wind, photovoltaic, photovoltaic-thermal, and biogas CHP plants. It discusses the challenges of evaluating local energy efficiency, which is often inadequate for comparing renewable and non-renewable technologies. A system-wide analysis, based on the global energy balance, provides a more accurate assessment. The paper introduces TEC as a more suitable method for evaluating and comparing the energy and ecological efficiency of diverse systems, with practical examples illustrating both local and system-level TEC evaluations of renewable energy-supported microgrids.