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Renewable energy polygeneration systems are a viable alternative to fossil-fuel based systems, but storage solutions may be necessary when aiming for high sustainability and autonomy. As each storage technology has different strengths and weaknesses, combinations of various storage solutions may lead to better techno-economic performance than singular approaches. To this purpose, an optimization model including a novel dispatch control strategy for a hybrid energy storage system (HESS) is proposed, which uses biogas for long-term and batteries for short-term storage. The model optimizes for minimum lifetime costs while exploiting the biomass resources with maximum efficiency and quantifying the additional solar and battery capacities needed. It is applied in a case study with an innovative biomass-based polygeneration system in a rural locality of Bolivia to serve electricity, potable water, and bio-slurry as fertilizer. The results indicate that even with maximized efficiency of the biomass resource conversion, large PV and battery capacities are necessary to satisfy the electricity demand of the locality. Despite of the high investment costs, the biomass-based polygeneration system would cost 22% less over the project lifetime than the fossil-fuel based reference system while being less dependent on fuel price changes. It would also reduce CO 2 -emissions by over 98%. • Presenting a control strategy for polygeneration systems using biogas and batteries • Development of a model for such systems enhanced with PV and membrane distillation • Application of the model in a case study for a rural locality in Bolivia • Results show 22% lower lifetime costs and 98% less emissions but high capital costs • The model including the control strategy facilitate designing polygeneration HESS [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Cost-optimal design method for CCHP-assisted HP systems for varying climate scenarios. • Numerical transient model for demand and CCHP/HP system analysis. • Techno-economic analysis of Montjuic Castle, Barcelona, based on the model. • Small CCHP leads to more sustainable autonomy without unreasonable extra costs. • Climate change has a relatively small effect on comparative economic performance. An innovative modelling approach for the design of biomass-based, solar-assisted combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) and heat pump (HP) systems for various climate scenarios is proposed in this work. The modelling approach is comprised of three sub-models (a demand sub-model, a supply sub-model, an economic sub-model) allowing for cost-optimal sizing of the system components based on net present cost (NPC). Subsequently a transient optimization model has been developed, which computes the technical and economic performance for each component size and for each ambient temperature of the different climate scenarios. Additionally, the model provides data on energy efficiency, exergy efficiency, and CO 2 -emissions of a given CCHP/HP system. The model has then been employed in a case study in order to analyse the performance of a CCHP/HP system for a tourist, museum, and guest accommodation structure located at the Montjuïc castle in Barcelona, Spain. The results show that the smallest simulated biomass-based CCHP system using a 25 kW e syngas-fuelled engine would reduce lifetime costs by 7% compared to an only-HP system while operating with a high total energy efficiency of over 60%. The combined CCHP/HP system would operate with an exergy efficiency of 18%. However, larger CCHP systems cannot offset the much higher capital costs despite increasing electricity sales. The findings also reveal that for the high climate change scenario the overall project costs drop by up to 2.5%, however the effects have little impact on the optimal CCHP/HP system sizing. Even the smallest CCHP system would reduce emissions already by 75% with an increasing trend for larger systems. Although CCHP/HP systems would lead to lower NPC and emissions, the high investment costs and the complexity of the combined system remain considerable obstacles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]