Techno-environmental assessment of geothermal-driven combined cooling and power production

Anurag Chidire, Ludwig Irrgang, Christopher Schifflechner, Tobias Massier and Alessandro Romagnoli

Renewable Energy, 2025, vol. 248, issue C

Abstract: The rising demand for cooling poses significant environmental challenges, especially in regions relying on carbon-intensive grid electricity. In this study, a geothermal-driven combined cooling and power system (GCCPS) containing an absorption chiller (AC) and an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) for combined production of power and cooling is proposed. The system’s techno-environmental performance is evaluated over a 30-year lifespan, considering variable ORC outlet temperatures. The net electricity and cooling outputs range from 119GWhe to 6GWhe and 899GWhth to 1548GWhth, respectively. This highlights the trade-off between electricity and cooling outputs, governed by the ORC outlet temperature. Through life cycle assessment (LCA), the study identifies the environmental hotspots and quantify the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. At an ORC outlet temperature of 130°C, the system achieves annual GHG emission savings of 137ktCO2eq to 294ktCO2eq over a 30-year lifespan, significantly outperforming district cooling systems (DCSs) by over 14 times. These findings emphasise the potential of geothermal-driven cooling as a low-carbon solution for achieving decarbonisation goals in rapidly urbanising regions like Southeast Asia.

Keywords: Geothermal energy; Life cycle assessment; Urban energy systems; Renewable cooling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:248:y:2025:i:c:s0960148125006068

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2025.122944

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