Evaluation and sizing of a CCHP system for a commercial and office buildings

• Feasibility study of employing CCHP for a commercial and office building in Tehran, Iran is conducted.
• Determination of optimal capacity of a CCHP system considering electrical, heating and cooling demands for a real case.
• Environmental impact reduction using CCHP for a commercial building.

Combined cooling, heating and power (CCHP) systems have attracted substantial interests during past decades as they can offer higher thermal efficiency compared to single power generation systems. This paper mainly aims to shed light on applying a CCHP system for a commercial and office buildings in Tehran, Iran. To achieve this, one of the most critical parameters on the CCHP system performance that is the choice of equipment capacity is considered. In this regard, three different possible scenarios based on prime mover capacity are introduced and an economical study on each scenario is conducted to determine the optimal prime mover capacity for this building with regard to the availability of each alternative. Finally, the reduction of pollutant emissions due to applying CCHP system for this commercial and office building is studied and the relevant results are reported. Regarding the current energy costs in Iran, optimal capacity of prime mover requires to be designed as equal electricity generation capacities (based on peak load) and electric demand of the building. In addition, from an environmental perspective, it is concluded that 1,071,428 USD is dictated on community in term of natural gas and domestic use of electricity in this commercial building.