Enhancing gas turbine performance is critical for improving energy efficiency and promoting sustainable power generation. This study investigates the impact of incorporating intercoolers and proton exchange membrane fuel cells into gas turbine systems, with a focus on energy, exergy, and economic performance to promote a more sustainable power generation system. The results indicate that the integrated combined cycle system, comprising an intercooled gas turbine (intGT), a cascaded closed-loop organic Rankine cycle (CCL-ORC), a proton exchange membrane fuel cell, and an electrolyzer, achieves a substantial total work output and improved exergy efficiency. The results indicate a total work output of the promoted intGT/CCL-ORC/FCE system is 446.24 kW, highlighting the system's efficient energy conversion. The calculated energy efficiency is also 44.7 %, demonstrating a substantial improvement compared to conventional intGT/CCL-ORC system. The estimated electricity cost of 70.28 $/h emphasizes the economic viability of this integration. A multi-objective optimization of the intGT/CCL-ORC/FCE system reveals a significant reduction in electricity production cost, accompanied by a modest decline in energy efficiency. The optimization results indicate a 65.6 % reduction in the exergy destruction rate compared to the unoptimized system, demonstrating a significant enhancement in thermodynamic performance. These results highlight the potential of the proposed configuration to support cleaner and more economically viable energy solutions, contributing to the advancement of sustainable power generation technologies.
