Impact of a trigeneration power system fuelled by vegetable oil on environmental air pollution by numerical simulations

In the most recent years, renewable sources are becoming increasingly crucial owing to both the stocks of fossil fuels being depleted and environmental problems around the globe. This study describes the environmental assessment of thermal power plant-based trigeneration systems fuelled by renewable energy sources for district heating/cooling system. First, the paper examines the thermal and refrigeration requests of a possible new urban area with electricity, cooling and heating provided by a new trigeneration power system; this study is performed considering a trigeneration plant based on the internal combustion engines fuelled by renewable vegetable oil. Subsequently, a numerical assessment is achieved in order to evaluate the environmental impact on the neighboring area of the trigeneration system. The results of these numerical simulations show that the impact of this power plant on air quality state is not significant in this area. As a result, this kind of trigeneration power system can significantly support the cause of sustainable development and energy efficiency.