Operation and Performance Assessment of a Hybrid Solar Heating and Cooling System for Different Configurations and Climatic Conditions
Energy needs of air conditioning systems are constantly growing worldwide, due to climate change and growing standards of buildings. Among the possible systems, solar heating and cooling based on reversible heat pumps and thermally driven chillers are a viable option for ensuring space heating and c...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-02-01
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| Series: | Energies |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/4/1142 |
| _version_ | 1797395705619283968 |
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| author | Rafał Figaj Maciej Żołądek |
| author_facet | Rafał Figaj Maciej Żołądek |
| author_sort | Rafał Figaj |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Energy needs of air conditioning systems are constantly growing worldwide, due to climate change and growing standards of buildings. Among the possible systems, solar heating and cooling based on reversible heat pumps and thermally driven chillers are a viable option for ensuring space heating and cooling for different users. The high installation costs are a limit to their diffusion, however, under specific circumstances (climate, type of the building, type of the user, etc.), the investment in this technology can be profitable in a long term. The presented paper describes an energy-economic assessment of a solar heating and cooling system integrating a solar dish concentrator with thermal collectors coupled with a reversible heat pump and an absorption or adsorption chiller. The system integrated with a household building is developed and dynamically simulated in the Transient System Simulation (TRNSYS) environment under different circumstances –adoption of absorption or adsorption chiller, use of auxiliary thermal energy to drive the sorption chillers, and locality. The results show that space cooling demand in Cracow is matched by solar energy, in a range between 49.0 and 97.6%, while for Naples the space cooling demand is provided by solar heat from 46.1 to 99.1% depending on the adopted sorption chiller and or the use of auxiliary heat for a natural gas boiler. The proposed system is not profitable in case Cracow, since a Simple Pay Back period of about 20 years is achieved. Conversely, case of Naples, the same index achieves a value between 8 and 12 years showing that the proposed system may be a viable solution for heating and cooling installation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T00:39:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-62076fc02d8741e78e73778fb290ddf4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1996-1073 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T00:39:28Z |
| publishDate | 2021-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Energies |
| spelling | doaj.art-62076fc02d8741e78e73778fb290ddf42023-12-11T17:54:02ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732021-02-01144114210.3390/en14041142Operation and Performance Assessment of a Hybrid Solar Heating and Cooling System for Different Configurations and Climatic ConditionsRafał Figaj0Maciej Żołądek1Department of Sustainable Energy Development, Faculty of Energy and Fuels, AGH University of Science and Technology, 30-059 Cracow, PolandDepartment of Sustainable Energy Development, Faculty of Energy and Fuels, AGH University of Science and Technology, 30-059 Cracow, PolandEnergy needs of air conditioning systems are constantly growing worldwide, due to climate change and growing standards of buildings. Among the possible systems, solar heating and cooling based on reversible heat pumps and thermally driven chillers are a viable option for ensuring space heating and cooling for different users. The high installation costs are a limit to their diffusion, however, under specific circumstances (climate, type of the building, type of the user, etc.), the investment in this technology can be profitable in a long term. The presented paper describes an energy-economic assessment of a solar heating and cooling system integrating a solar dish concentrator with thermal collectors coupled with a reversible heat pump and an absorption or adsorption chiller. The system integrated with a household building is developed and dynamically simulated in the Transient System Simulation (TRNSYS) environment under different circumstances –adoption of absorption or adsorption chiller, use of auxiliary thermal energy to drive the sorption chillers, and locality. The results show that space cooling demand in Cracow is matched by solar energy, in a range between 49.0 and 97.6%, while for Naples the space cooling demand is provided by solar heat from 46.1 to 99.1% depending on the adopted sorption chiller and or the use of auxiliary heat for a natural gas boiler. The proposed system is not profitable in case Cracow, since a Simple Pay Back period of about 20 years is achieved. Conversely, case of Naples, the same index achieves a value between 8 and 12 years showing that the proposed system may be a viable solution for heating and cooling installation.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/4/1142solar heating and coolingsolar concentrating systemadsorption chillerenergy analysisTRNSYS softwareeconomic analysis |
| spellingShingle | Rafał Figaj Maciej Żołądek Operation and Performance Assessment of a Hybrid Solar Heating and Cooling System for Different Configurations and Climatic Conditions Energies solar heating and cooling solar concentrating system adsorption chiller energy analysis TRNSYS software economic analysis |
| title | Operation and Performance Assessment of a Hybrid Solar Heating and Cooling System for Different Configurations and Climatic Conditions |
| title_full | Operation and Performance Assessment of a Hybrid Solar Heating and Cooling System for Different Configurations and Climatic Conditions |
| title_fullStr | Operation and Performance Assessment of a Hybrid Solar Heating and Cooling System for Different Configurations and Climatic Conditions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Operation and Performance Assessment of a Hybrid Solar Heating and Cooling System for Different Configurations and Climatic Conditions |
| title_short | Operation and Performance Assessment of a Hybrid Solar Heating and Cooling System for Different Configurations and Climatic Conditions |
| title_sort | operation and performance assessment of a hybrid solar heating and cooling system for different configurations and climatic conditions |
| topic | solar heating and cooling solar concentrating system adsorption chiller energy analysis TRNSYS software economic analysis |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/4/1142 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT rafałfigaj operationandperformanceassessmentofahybridsolarheatingandcoolingsystemfordifferentconfigurationsandclimaticconditions AT maciejzoładek operationandperformanceassessmentofahybridsolarheatingandcoolingsystemfordifferentconfigurationsandclimaticconditions |