Exergoeconomics as a Cost-Accounting Method in Thermal Grids with the Presence of Renewable Energy Producers

Thermal grids are efficient, reliable, and sustainable technologies for satisfying the thermal demands of buildings. The capability to operate at a low temperature allows not only for the integration of heat produced by renewable energy sources but also for the storage of surplus electricity from the grid via “power to heat” technologies. Besides, in the future, heat consumers are expected to behave increasingly as “prosumers”, supplying in some periods heat produced by renewable energy plants on site. In this scenario, it is important to propose a method for the cost allocation among producers connected to the grid. In this regard, this paper proposes Exergoeco-nomics as a possible tool for rational cost assignment. To show the capabilities of the method, some operating scenarios are compared for a cluster of five buildings of the tertiary sector interconnected by a thermal grid. Based on exergoeconomic indicators, such as the exergy and exergoeconomic unit costs, insights into the cost formation process of the heat consumed by users are provided. Sensitivity analyses of heat unit cost to design and operating variables are also performed. Results show that in the presence of distributed producers, the heat unit cost could be approximately 33% lower than in the case of centralized production, due to the lower amount of irreversibility generated. Capital investment accounts for 20–28% of the heat unit cost.