Preliminary design and techno-economic assessment of a trigeneration system integrated with compressed air and chemical energy storage.

This article focuses on a novel trigeneration system integrating compressed air energy storage (CAES) with chemical energy storage via methanol decomposition to enhance energy utilization efficiency. The system converts compression heat into syngas (H₂ and CO) through an endothermic methanol decomposition reaction during charging, which is then used for air preheating and combustion during discharging, enabling simultaneous production of electricity, heating, and cooling. A comprehensive techno-economic analysis, including sensitivity and multi-objective optimization using the Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-II (NSGA-II) and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), identifies optimal operating parameters achieving an exergy efficiency of 43.31% and a levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of 97.53 $/MWh. The study highlights the system’s potential for high energy conversion efficiency and cost-effectiveness, with key factors such as air–methanol ratio, pressure ratios, and isentropic efficiencies significantly influencing performance.