Techno-economic analysis and optimization of a proposed solar-wind-driven multigeneration system; case study of Iran

This paper performs a thermo-economic assessment of a multi-generation system based on solar and wind renewable energy sources. This system works to generate power, freshwater, and hydrogen, which consists of the following parts: the solar collectors, Steam Rankine subsystem, Organic Rankine subsystem, desalination part, and hydrogen production and compression unit. Initially, the effects of variables including reference temperature, solar radiation intensity, wind speed, and solar cycle mass flow rate, which depend on weather conditions and affect the performance of the integrated system, were investigated. The thermodynamic analysis results showed that the overall study's exergy efficiency, the rate of hydrogen and freshwater production, and total cost rate are 33.3%, 7.92 kg/h, 1.6398 kg/s, and 61.28 $/h, respectively. Also, the net power generation rate in the Steam and Organic Rankine subsystems and wind turbines are 315 kW, 326.52 kW, and 226 kW, respectively. The main goal of this study is to minimize the total cost rate of the system and maximize the exergy efficiency and hydrogen and freshwater production rate of the total system. The results of optimization showed that the exergy efficiency value improved by 20.7%, the hydrogen production rate increased by 1%, and the total cost rate value declined by 2%. Moreover, the optimum point is similar to a region in Hormozgan province, Iran. So, this region is proposed for building the power plant.     

An innovative compressed air energy storage (CAES) using hydrogen energy integrated with geothermal and solar energy technologies: A comprehensive techno-economic analysis - different climate areas- using artificial intelligent (AI)

The present study evaluates the optimal design of a renewable system based on solar and geothermal energy for power generation and cooling based on a solar cycle with thermal energy storage and an electrolyzer to produce hydrogen fuel for the combustion chamber. The subsystems include solar collectors, gas turbines, an electrolyzer, an absorption chiller, and compressed air energy storage. The solar collector surface area, geothermal source temperature, steam turbine input pressure, and evaporator input temperature were found to be major determinants. The economic analysis of the system showed that the solar subsystem, steam Rankine cycle, and compressed air energy storage accounted for the largest portions of the cost rate. The exergy analysis of the system demonstrated that the solar subsystem and SRC had the highest contributions to total exergy destruction. A comparative case study was conducted on Isfahan, Bandar Abbas, Mashhad, Semnan, and Zanjan in Iran to evaluate the performance of the proposed system at different ambient temperatures and irradiance levels during the year. To optimize the system and find the optimal objective functions, the NSGA-II algorithm was employed. The contradictory objective functions of the system included exergy efficiency maximization and cost rate minimization. The optimal Exergy round trip efficiency and cost rate were found to be 29.25% and 714.25 ($/h), respectively.     

Multi-criteria optimization of an integrated energy system with thermoelectric generator,parabolic trough solar collector and electrolysis for hydrogen production

In this research paper, a newly energy system consisting of parabolic trough solar collectors (PTSC) field, a thermoelectric generator (TEG), a Rankine cycle and a proton exchange membrane (PEM) is proposed. The integration is performed by establishing a TEG instead of the condenser as power generation and cooling unit thereafter surplus power output of the TEG is transferred to the PEM electrolyzer for hydrogen production. The integrated renewable energy system is comprehensively modeled and influence of the effective parameters is investigated on exergy and economic indicators through the parametric study to better understand the system performance. Engineering equation solver (EES) as a potential engineering tool is used to simulate the system and obtain the desired results. In order to optimize the system, a developed multi-objective genetic algorithm MATLAB code is applied to determine the optimum operating conditions of the system. Obtained results demonstrate that at optimum working condition from exergy viewpoint, exergy efficiency and total cost are 12.76% and 61.69 $/GJ, respectively. Multi-objective optimization results further show that the final optimal point which is well-balanced between exergy efficiency and total cost, has the maximum exergy efficiency of 13.29% and total cost of 63.96 $/GJ, respectively. The corresponding values for exergy efficiency and total cost are 10.01% and 60.21 $/GJ for optimum working condition from economic standpoint. Furthermore, hydrogen production at well-balanced operating condition would be 2.28 kg/h. Eventually, the results indicate that establishing the TEG unit instead of the condenser is a promising method to optimize the performance of the system and reduce total cost.     

Exergoeconomic analysis and optimization of a concentrated sunlight-driven integrated photoelectrochemical hydrogen and ammonia production system

The study presented here concerns a comprehensive investigation on exergoeconomic analysis and optimization of an integrated system for photoelectrochemical hydrogen and electrochemical ammonia production. The present integrated system consists of a solar concentrator, spectrum-splitting mirrors, a photoelectrochemical hydrogen production reactor, a photovoltaic module, an electrochemical ammonia production reactor and support mechanisms. Detailed thermodynamic and exergoeconomic analyses are initially conducted to determine the performance of the integrated system namely; efficiency and total cost rate. The obtained performance parameters are then optimized to yield the minimum cost rate and maximum efficiency under given constraints of the experimental system. The highest capital cost rates are observed in the photoelectrochemical hydrogen and electrochemical ammonia production reactors because of high procurement costs and electricity inputs. The optimized values for exergy efficiency of the integrated system range from 5% to 9.6%. The photovoltaic and photoelectrochemical cell areas and solar light illumination mainly affect the overall system efficiencies. The optimum efficiencies are found to be 8.7% and 5% for the multi-objective optimization of hydrogen production and integrated ammonia production system, respectively. When the exergy efficiency of the integrated system is maximized and the total cost rate is minimized at the same time, the total cost rate of the system is calculated to be about 0.2 $/h. The cost sensitivity analysis results of the present study show that the total cost rate of the system is mostly affected by the interest rate and lifetime of the system.     

Development and exergoeconomic evaluation of a SOFC-GT driven multi-generation system to supply residential demands: Electricity,fresh water and hydrogen

In this study, a novel multi-generation system is proposed by integrating a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC)-gas turbine (GT) with multi-effect desalination (MED), organic flash cycle (OFC) and polymer electrolyte membrane electrolyzer (PEME) for simultaneous production of electricity, fresh water and hydrogen. A comprehensive exergoeconomic analysis and optimization are conducted to find the best design parameters considering exergy efficiency and total unit cost of products as objective functions. The results show that the exergy efficiency and the total unit cost of products in the optimal condition are 59.4% and 23.6 $/GJ, respectively, which offers an increase of 2% compared to exergy efficiency of SOFC-GT system. Moreover, the system is capable of producing 2.5 MW of electricity by the SOFC-GT system, 5.6 m³/h of fresh water by MED unit, and 1.8 kg/h of hydrogen by the PEME. The associated cost for producing electricity, fresh water and hydrogen are 3.4 cent/kWh, 37.8 cent/m³, and 1.7 $/kg, respectively. A comparison between the results of the proposed system and those reported in other related papers are presented. The diagram of the exergy flow is also plotted for the exact determination of the exergy flow rate in each component, and also, location and value of exergy destruction. Finally, the capability of the proposed system for a case study of Iran is examined.     

A green hydrogen energy storage concept based on parabolic trough collector and proton exchange membrane electrolyzer/fuel cell: Thermodynamic and exergoeconomic analyses with multi-objective optimization

With the continuous penetration of renewable energy plants into energy markets and their surplus power generation during off-peak periods, the need for utility-scale energy storage technologies is globally prioritized. Among the existing large-scale energy storage technologies, hydrogen storage has appeared as a powerful alternative due to its environmental benefits and the ability to store a large amount of energy for several hours to months. The major objective of the proposed research is to introduce a novel configuration of green hydrogen production for power generation during peak demand periods. In this regard, an innovative hybridization of a solar unit based on a parabolic trough collector with a proton-exchange membrane electrolyzer and a fuel cell is introduced and analyzed from the thermodynamic and exergoeconomic perspectives. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis and a multi-objective optimization based on the combination of neural network and grey wolf optimization algorithms are conducted to select the best working fluid of the solar unit and ideal operating conditions according to the minimum cost rate and the maximum exergy efficiency. The results indicate that Dowtherm? A synthetic oil is the best working fluid, and the proposed system can generate 9, 14.9, and 20.1 MW of power during off-, mid-, and on-peak times, respectively. The results also show that the proposed system operates with an exergy efficiency of 17.6% and a cost rate of 492.4 $/hr under the optimal conditions.     

Exergoeconomic and environmental impact analyses of a renewable energy based hydrogen production system

In this study, exergoeconomic and environmental impact analyses, through energy, exergy, and sustainability assessment methods, are performed to investigate a hybrid version renewable energy (including wind and solar) based hydrogen and electricity production system. The dead state temperatures considered here are 10 °C, 20 °C and 30 °C to undertake a parametric study. An electrolyzer and a metal hydride tank are used for hydrogen production and hydrogen storage, respectively. Also, the Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) and battery options are utilized for electricity generation and storage, respectively. As a result, the energy and exergy efficiencies and the sustainability index for the wind turbine are found to be higher than the ones for solar photovoltaic (PV) system. Also, the overall exergy efficiency of the system is found to be higher than the corresponding overall energy efficiency. Furthermore, for this system, it can be concluded that wind turbine with 60 gCO₂/month is more environmentally-benign than the solar PV system with 75 gCO₂/month. Finally, the total exergoeconomic parameter is found to be 0.26 W/$, when the energy loss is considered, while it is 0.41 W/$, when the total of exergy loss and destruction rates are taken into account.     

The evaluation of hydrogen production via a geothermal-based multigeneration system with 3E analysis and multi-objective optimization

In this study, a novel geothermal-based multigeneration system is designed and evaluated in energy, exergy and economic (3E) analyses. Besides 3E analyses, multi-objective optimization has been assessed to reach the highest exergetic effectiveness and the lowest total cost rate. To evaluate the designed plant, thermodynamic balance equations are assigned to all sub-systems found in the design. These equations are solved by using Engineering Equation Solver (EES) software. According to the analyses' results, with base parameters, total power production is 1951 kW, the hydrogen generation rate is 0.0015 kg/s, and the whole energy and exergy efficiencies are 59.53% and 53.17%. The economic analysis performed for the multigeneration system indicates that the total cost rate is 186 $/h, and the levelized energy cost is 0.102 $/kWh. These results indicate that the designed geothermal-based multigeneration system performs better than a single-generation plant in terms of efficiency and cost.     

Evolutionary based multi-criteria optimization of an integrated energy system with SOFC,gas turbine,and hydrogen production via electrolysis

The aim of this study is to exploit the waste heat of a biomass-based solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC)–model (a)–in a gas turbine (GT) to enhance the power generation/exergy efficiency (model (b)). Moreover, surplus power which is generated by the GT is transferred to a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer (PEME) for hydrogen production (model (c)). Parametric study is performed to investigate the influence of the effective parameters on performance and economic indicators. Eventually, considering exergy efficiency and total product cost as the objective functions, the proposed models are optimized by multi-objective optimization method based on genetic algorithm. Accordingly, the optimum solution points are gathered as Pareto frontiers and subsequently favorable solution points are ascertained from exergy/economic standpoints. Results of parametric study indicate that model (b) is the best model as it has higher exergy efficiency and lower total product cost. Moreover, model (c) may be a more suitable model compared to the model (a) because of higher exergy efficiency and capability of hydrogen production. The results further show that, at the best final solution point, the exergy efficiency and total product cost of the model (b) would be 33.22% and 19.01 $/GJ, respectively. Corresponding values of exergy efficiency and total product cost of the model (c) are 32.3% and 20.1 $/GJ. Moreover, the rate of hydrogen production of the model (c) is 8.393 kg/day, at the best solution point. Overall, the integration methods are promising techniques for increasing exergy efficiency, reducing total product cost and also for hydrogen production.     

Analysis and techno-economic assessment of renewable hydrogen production and blending into natural gas for better sustainability

In this study, comprehensive thermodynamic analysis and techno-economic assessment studies of the renewable hydrogen production and its blending with natural gas in the existing pipelines are performed. Solar and wind energy-based on-grid and off-grid power systems are designed and compared in energy, exergy, and cost. Solar PV panels and wind turbines are particularly considered for electricity and hydrogen production for residential applications in an environmentally benign way. Fuel cell units are included to supply continuous electricity in the off-grid system. Here, the heat required for a community consisting of 100 houses is provided by hydrogen and natural gas mixture as a more environmentally benign fuel. The costs of capital, fuel, operation, and maintenance are calculated and evaluated in detail. The total net present costs are calculated as $6.95 million and $2.47 million for the off-grid and on-grid power systems, respectively. For the off-grid system, energy and exergy efficiencies are calculated as 32.64% and 40.73%, respectively. Finally, the energy and exergy efficiencies of the on-grid system are determined as 26.58% and 35.25%, respectively.     

Energy,exergy and economic analyses and multiobjective optimization of a novel solar multi-generation system for production of green hydrogen and other utilities

Renewable energy based multi-generation systems can help solving energy-related environmental problems. For this purpose, a novel solar tower-based multi-generation system is proposed for the green hydrogen production as the main product. A solar-driven open Brayton cycle with intercooling, regeneration and reheat is coupled with a regenerative Rankine cycle and a Kalina cycle-11 as a unique series of power cycles. Significant portion of the produced electricity is utilized to produce green hydrogen in an electrolyzer. A thermal energy storage, a single-effect absorption refrigeration cycle and two domestic hot water heaters are also integrated. Energy, exergy and economic analyses are performed to examine the performance of the proposed system, and a detailed parametric analysis is conducted. Multiobjective optimization is carried out to determine the optimum performance. Optimum energy and exergy efficiencies, unit exergy product cost and total cost rate are calculated as 39.81%, 34.44%, 0.0798 $/kWh and 182.16 $/h, respectively. Products are 22.48 kg/h hydrogen, 1478 kW power, 225.5 kW cooling and 7.63 kg/s domestic hot water. Electrolyzer power size is found as one of the most critical decision variables. Solar subsystem has the largest exergy destruction. Regenerative Rankine cycle operates at the highest energy and exergy efficiencies among power cycles.     

Assessment and optimization of an integrated energy system with electrolysis and fuel cells for electricity,cooling and hydrogen production using various optimization techniques

In this research study, a novel integrated solar based combined, cooling, heating and, power (CCHP) is proposed consisting of Parabolic trough solar collectors (PTSC) field, a dual-tank molten salt heat storage, an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC), a Proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), a Proton exchange membrane electrolyzer (PEME), and a single effect Li/Br water absorption chiller. Thermodynamics and economic relations are used to analyze the proposed CCHP system. The mean of Tehran solar radiation as well as each portion of solar radiation during 24 h in winter is obtained from TRNSYS software to be used in PTSC calculations. A dynamic model of the thermal storage unit is assessed for proposed CCHP system under three different conditions (i.e., without thermal energy storage (TES), with TES and with TES + PEMFC). The results demonstrate that PEMFC has the ability to improve the power output by 10% during the night and 3% at sunny hours while by using TES alone, the overnight power generation is 86% of the power generation during the sunny hours. The optimum operating condition is determined via the NSGA-II algorithm with regards to exergy efficiency and total cost rate as objective functions where the optimum values are 0.058 ($/s) and 80%, respectively. The result of single objective optimization is 0.044 ($/s) for the economic objective in which the exergy efficiency is at its lowest value (57.7%). In addition, results indicate that the amount of single objective optimization based on exergetic objective is 88% in which the total cost rate is at its highest value (0.086 $/s). The scattered distribution of design parameters and the decision variables trend are investigated. In the next step, five different evolutionary algorithms namely NSGA-II, GDE3, IBEA, SMPSO, and SPEA2 are applied, and their Pareto frontiers are compared with each other.     

Investigation of green hydrogen production and development of waste heat recovery system in biogas power plant for sustainable energy applications

In this study, biogas power production and green hydrogen potential as an energy carrier are evaluated from biomass. Integrating an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) to benefit from the waste exhaust gases is considered. The power obtained from the ORC is used to produce hydrogen by water electrolysis, eliminate the H₂S generated during the biogas production process and store the excess electricity. Thermodynamic and thermoeconomic analyses and optimization of the designed Combined Heat and Power (CHP) system for this purpose have been performed. The proposed study contains originality about the sustainability and efficiency of renewable energy resources. System design and analysis are performed with Engineering Equation Solver (EES) and Aspen Plus software. According to the results of thermodynamic analysis, the energy and exergy efficiency of the existing power plant is 28.69% and 25.15%. The new integrated system's energy, exergy efficiencies, and power capacity are calculated as 41.55%, 36.42%, and 5792 kW. The total hydrogen production from the system is 0.12412 kg/s. According to the results of the thermoeconomic analysis, the unit cost of the electricity produced in the existing power plant is 0.04323 $/kWh. The cost of electricity and hydrogen produced in the new proposed system is determined as 0.03922 $/kWh and 0.181 $/kg H₂, respectively.     

Thermo-economic analysis and optimization of the very high temperature gas-cooled reactor-based nuclear hydrogen production system using copper-chlorine cycle

An improved very high temperature gas-cooled reactor (VHTR) and copper-chlorine (Cu–Cl) cycle-based nuclear hydrogen production system is proposed and investigated in this paper, in order to reveal the unknown thermo-economic characteristics of the system under variable operating conditions. Energy, exergy and economic analysis method and particle swarm optimization algorithm are used to model and optimize the system, respectively. Parametric analysis of the effects of several key operating parameters on the system performance is conducted, and energy loss, exergy loss, and investment cost distributions of the system are discussed under three typical production modes. Results show that increasing the reactor subsystem pressure ratio can enhance the system's thermo-economic performance, and the total efficiencies and cost of producing compressed hydrogen from nuclear energy are respectively lower and higher than that of generating electricity. When the system operates at the maximum hydrogen production rate of 403.1 mol/s, the system's net electrical power output, thermal efficiency, exergy efficiency, and specific energy cost are found to be 38.77 MW, 39.3%, 41.26%, and 0.0731 $/kW·h, respectively. And when the system's hydrogen production load equals to 0, these values are respectively calculated to be 177.25 MW, 50.64%, 53.29%, and 0.0268 $/kW·h. In addition, more than 90% of the system's total energy losses are caused by condenser and Cu–Cl cycle, and about 50–60% of the system's total exergy destructions occur in VHTR. About 60% and 30% of the system's specific energy cost are respectively caused by the equipment investment and the system operation & maintenance, and the investment costs of VHTR and Cu–Cl plant are the system's main capital investment sources.     

Utilizing the multi-objective particle swarm optimization for designing a renewable multiple energy system on the basis of the parabolic trough solar collector

Today, to preserve fossil resources, mankind has to search for new ways to respond to its ever-increasing energy needs. In this study, a hybrid system of energy and the use of a parabolic trough solar collector to attract solar radiation was investigated to produce clean electricity, cooling, and hydrogen from thermodynamic and economic aspects. The designed system consisted of a parabolic trough solar collector, organic Rankine cycle, lithium-bromide absorption refrigeration cycle, and proton exchange membrane electrolysis system. The evaporator input temperature, turbine inlet temperature, solar radiation intensity, mass flow rate of collector and parabolic trough collector surface area were set as decision variables and the effect of these parameters on system performance and system exergy loss were investigated. The objective functions of this research were exergy efficiency and cost rate. In order to optimize this system, multi-objective particle swarm optimization algorithm was employed. Optimization results with particle swarm optimization indicated that the best rate of exergy efficiency is 3.12% and the system cost rate is 16.367 US$ per hour, at the same time. The system is capable of producing 15.385 kW power, 0.189 kg/day hydrogen and 56.145 kW cooling in its optimum condition. The results of sensitivity analysis showed that increasing mass flow rate at the collector, temperature at the evaporator inlet, and temperature at the turbine inlet have positive effect on the performance of the proposed system.     

Energy,exergy, and exergoeconomics (3E) analysis and multi-objective optimization of a multi-generation energy system for day and night time power generation - Case study: Dezful city

The present study aimed to investigate a multi-generation energy system for the production of hydrogen, freshwater, electricity, cooling, heating, and hot water. Steam Rankine cycle (SRC), organic Rankine cycle (ORC), absorption chiller, Parabolic trough collectors (PTCs), geothermal well, proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer, and reverse osmosis (RO) desalination are the main subsystems of the cycle. The amount of exergy destruction is calculated for each component after modeling and thermodynamic analysis. The PTCs, absorption chiller, and PEM electrolyzer had the highest exergy destruction, respectively. According to meteorological data, the system was annually and hourly tested for Dezful City. For instance, it had a production capacity of 13.25 kg/day of hydrogen and 147.42 m³/day of freshwater on 17th September. Five design parameters are considered for multi-objective optimization after investigating objective functions, including cost rate and exergy efficiency. Using a Group method of data handling (GMDH), a mathematical relation is obtained between the input and output of the system. Next, a multi-objective optimization algorithm, a non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II), was used to optimize the relations. A Pareto frontier with a set of optimal points is obtained after the optimization. In the Pareto frontier, the best point is selected by the decision criterion of TOPSIS. At the TOPSIS point, the exergy efficiency is 31.66%, and the total unit cost rate is 21.9 $/GJ.     

Economic viability and production capacity of wind generated renewable hydrogen

Generally, wind to power conversion is calculated by assuming the quality of wind as measured with a Weibull probability distribution at wind speed during power generation. We build on this method by modifying the Weibull distributions to reflect the actual range of wind speeds and wind energy density. This was combined with log law that modifies wind speed based on the height from the ground, to derive the wind power potential at windy sites. The study also provides the Levelized cost of renewable energy and hydrogen conversion capacity at the proposed sites. We have also electrolyzed the wind-generated electricity to measure the production capacity of renewable hydrogen. We found that all the sites considered are commercially viable for hydrogen production from wind-generated electricity. Wind generated electricity cost varies from $0.0844 to $0.0864 kW h, and the supply cost of renewable hydrogen is $5.30 to $ 5.80/kg-H₂. Based on the findings, we propose a policy on renewable hydrogen fueled vehicles so that the consumption of fossil fuels could be reduced. This paper shall serve as a complete feasibility study on renewable hydrogen production and utilization.     

Multi-criteria design optimization and thermodynamic analysis of a novel multi-generation energy system for hydrogen,cooling, heating,power, and freshwater

The main focus of this paper is to present thermodynamic and economic analyses and multi-objective optimization of a novel geothermal-solar multigeneration system. The system aims to produce hydrogen, freshwater, electricity, cooling load, and hot water and designed based on geothermal and solar energy. After modeling and thermodynamic and economic analysis, exergy destruction rate, exergy efficiency and, cost rate were calculated for each component of the system. The results showed that the highest amount of exergy destruction was related to parabolic trough collectors (PTCs) and absorption chillers. To select the geothermal fluid of the organic Rankine cycle (ORC), several different fluids were investigated, among which isobutene was selected. By using the Group method of data handling (GMDH) neural network, a mathematical relationship was obtained between the inputs and outputs of the problem and were given as inputs to the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGAII)alg. The final optimal point was obtained applying the technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) decision criterion at which the exergy efficiency and cost rate were calculated to be 21.63% and 63.89 $/h, respectively. The meteorological data of the Zanjan, Isfahan, and Bandar Abbas cities were used to calculate the performance accurately at the TOPSIS selection point. To provide a comparison between different cities, the performance of the system was evaluated on September 17 as a sample day. On this day, the proposed system produces 26.38 kg of hydrogen and 373.8 m³ of freshwater in Isfahan.     

Techno-economic assessment of a solar-geothermal multigeneration system for buildings

A techno-economic assessment is conducted for a multigeneration system comprised of two renewable energy subsystems—geothermal and solar—to supply electrical power, cooling, heating, hydrogen and hot water for buildings. The proposed system is evaluated in terms of energy and exergy efficiencies. The simulation results show that the electrolyzer produces 2.7 kg/h hydrogen. A parametric study is carried out to assess the effect of various parameters on the system energy and exergy efficiencies. The economic assessment, performed using the Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Resources (HOMER) software, shows that the net present cost of the optimized electrical power system is $476,000 and the levelized cost of electricity is $0.089/kWh.     

Development and multi-criteria optimization of a solar thermal power plant integrated with PEM electrolyzer and thermoelectric generator

This study investigates a novel solar-driven energy system for co-generating power, hydrogen, oxygen, and hot water. In the proposed system, parabolic trough collectors (PTCs) are used as the heat source of cascaded power cycles, i.e., steam and organic Rankine cycles (SRC and ORC). While the electricity produced by the SRC is supplied to the grid, the energy output of the ORC is used to drive an electrolyzer for hydrogen production. In addition, the use of a thermoelectric generator (TEG) using heat rejected from the ORC condenser for supplying additional electricity to the electrolyzer is investigated. A multi-objective optimization based on the genetic algorithm approach is carried out to estimate the optimal results for the proposed system. The specific cost of the system product and exergy efficiency are the chosen objective parameters to be minimized and maximized, respectively. The results show that, for the optimal system with the TEG, the specific cost of the system product and the exergy efficiency are 30.2$/GJ and 21.9%, respectively, and the produced hydrogen rate is 2.906 kg/h. The results also show that using a TEG increases efficiency and reduces the specific cost of system product. For having the most realistic interpretation of the investigations, the performance of the proposed system is investigated for four cities in Khuzestan province in Iran.