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This paper presents thedevelopment of a compact and cheap solar heating system based on photovoltaic panels, heat pump and heating storage through a smart regulation from a technical and economical point of view. The heat pump can be standard and have its own regulation. The building's owner may interact with the regulation through a web service to visualize the monitoring of the installation, update the calendar of the presence and change the operation mode. One of the goals of the regulation is to optimize the consumption of his own electricity production and therefore minimize the electricity taken from the grid. Several means are developed to reach the main objective. On one hand, the regulation takes into account the weather forecast to anticipate the future heating's needs and the photovoltaic production. Weather forecast data allows also to optimize the storage in hot water tanks and in the building structure. On the other hand, the project includes the development of an electronic module which collects the monitoring data and gives the commands to the heat pump and the pumps. This is accomplished without any intrusion in the heat pump's own regulation and therefore the user keeps the constructor's warranty. The new regulation was validated numerically. The expected energy gain due to the weather forecast is about 10%, while the one due to the self-consumption and the heat storage management will bring another 10-15%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using conventional fossil fuels causes both energy crisis and environmental pollution. Renewable energy with the merits of almost unlimited availability and environmental-friendliness provides a perfect solution to the problem. Solar energy is widely recognized as one of the most important renewable energy resources due to its even distribution, safety and serving as sources for others. In past decades, global solar thermal capacity increases rapidly and now it has been widely used worldwide to provide heating and cooling. To understand the current progress of relevant technologies and the future development, this paper briefly summarizes the current situation of solar heating and cooling, and then some new achievements in related areas and potential future market penetration are discussed. It is found that solar hot water heating system's development is in fast lane in recent years with evacuated tube solar collector dominating the mass market. How to integrate solar collecting system with different types of buildings is the main research and development direction for solar building heating system. Large-scale district water heating system and solar PVT system as the most promising solutions attract extensive attentions. For solar cooling, efforts have been made to improve the efficiency of conventional solar thermal cooling methods in terms of adsorption and absorption technology. In addition to technical development, economic analysis of solar heating and cooling system is also discussed. Return of investment period is widely adopted to evaluate the economic performance. Results reveal that low initial cost and advantageous allowance are the most efficient ways to make solar heating and cooling system economically attractive. This paper is presented and recommended by 5th International Conference on Nuclear and Renewable Energy Resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Heat transformation based on adsorption/desorption of water in microporous adsorbents has been considered for the application as adsorption chiller (ACS), adsorption heat pump (AHP) or thermochemical storage (TCS) since the 1980s. Unfortunately, most of the available adsorbents like zeolites were not optimized for the use in these processes as they originally had been developed for gas separation or catalysis processes. Within the last decade, intensive research on adsorbents yielded in improved and very promising new sorption materials with an enhanced adsorption capacity. This work gives a broad overview on current developments on materials including the new class of metal-organic frameworks for the use in adsorption processes for heat storage and transformation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Solar heating and nocturnal radiant cooling techniques are united to produce a novel solar heating and cooling system. The radiant panel with both heating and cooling functions can be used as structural materials for the building envelope, which realizes true building integrated utilization of solar energy. Based on the natural circulation principle, the operation status can be changed automatically between the heating cycle and the cooling cycle. System performances under different climate conditions using different covers on the radiant panel are studied. The results show that the novel solar heating and cooling system has good performance of heating and cooling. For the no cover system, the daily average heat collecting efficiency is 52% with the maximum efficiency of 73%, while at night, the cooling capacity is about 47W/m2 on a sunny day. On a cloudy day, the daily average heat collecting efficiency is 47% with the maximum of 84%, while the cooling capacity is about 33W/m2. As a polycarbonate (PC) panel or polyethylene film are used as covers, the maximum heat collecting efficiencies are 75% and 72% and the daily average heat collecting efficiencies are 61% and 58%, while the cooling capacities are 50W/m2 and 36W/m2, respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper presents a dynamic simulation of an innovative polygeneration system based on solar heating and cooling and PEM fuel cells technologies. The polygeneration system is based on the following main components: evacuated solar collectors, single-stage LiBr–H2O absorption chiller and a PEM fuel cell. The fuel cell operates at full load producing electrical energy which is in part consumed by the building lights and equipments. The fuel cell is grid connected in order to perform a convenient net metering. Finally, the system also includes heat exchangers producing domestic hot water in case of scarce space heating/cooling demand. The analysis was carried out by means of a transient simulation model, developed using TRNSYS software and includes the investigation of the dynamic behavior of the building, developed in TRNBUILD. A small university hall, including also a fitness center, was adopted as test case. Energetic and economic models were also developed, in order to assess primary energy savings and the operating and capital costs of the systems under analysis. The results of the case study were analyzed on monthly and yearly basis, paying special attention to the energetic and monetary flows. The results are excellent from the energy saving point of view. On the other hand, the pay back periods can be profitable for the final user only in case of significant public funding. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The serious environmental degradation of our planet in the past century and the limitation of supplies of conventional fuels have led humanity to search for new energy forms. The housing sector has a big environmental impact and it makes a good candidate for changes to be implemented in order to make steps towards a sustainable society. This study deals with the exergy analysis and the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of solar systems for space heating, cooling and hot domestic water production. These systems will be applied to a residence in the wide Thessaloniki area, in Northern Greece. The analysis is based on the given energy needs of an average house. Furthermore, a photovoltaic system (PV) will be used for electricity production. Besides Solar energy, the existing geothermal field will be utilized via heat pumps. The system is designed to exploit solar and geothermal energy and an exergy analysis of the different elements of the system is performed so that improvements can be achieved in its efficiency and its cost be reduced. It has been shown that the exergy efficiency of the solar systems and the geothermal system are relatively low. Since almost all of the environmental impacts of the renewable energies are connected to the manufacturing of the devises for their utilization, the environmental impacts will be analyzed only at the manufacturing stage. The use of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) will be used. It has been shown that the use of solar cooling has the highest environmental impact. This analysis applies for all regions since the energy needs could be adjusted and the solar radiation of that region taken into consideration. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The paper investigates the energetic and economic feasibility of a solar-assisted heating and cooling system (SHC) for different types of school buildings and Italian climates. The SHC system under investigation is based on the coupling of evacuated solar collectors with a single-stage LiBr–H2O absorption chiller; auxiliary energy for both heating and cooling is supplied by an electric-driven reversible heat pump. The SHC system was coupled with different types of school buildings located in three different Italian climatic zones. The analysis is carried out by means of a zero-dimensional transient simulation model, developed using the TRNSYS software; the analysis of the dynamic behaviour of the building was also included. An economic model is proposed, in order to assess the operating and capital costs of the systems under analysis. Furthermore, a parametric analysis and a subsequent mixed heuristic-deterministic optimization algorithm was implemented, in order to determine the set of the synthesis/design variables that maximize system profitability. The results are encouraging, as for the potential of energy saving. On the contrary, the SHC economic profitability can be achieved only in case of public funding policies (e.g. feed-in tariffs), as always happens for the great majority of renewable energy systems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, a transient simulation model of solar-assisted heating and cooling systems (SHC) is presented. A detailed case study is also discussed, in which three different configurations are considered. In all cases, the SHC system is based on the coupling of evacuated solar collectors with a single-stage LiBr–H2O absorption chiller, and a gas-fired boiler is also included for auxiliary heating, only during the winter season. In the first configuration, the cooling capacity of the absorption chiller and the solar collector area are designed on the basis of the maximum cooling load, and an electric chiller is used as the auxiliary cooling system. The second layout is similar to the first one, but, in this case, the absorption chiller and the solar collector area are sized in order to balance only a fraction of the maximum cooling load. Finally, in the third configuration, there is no electric chiller, and the auxiliary gas-fired boiler is also used in summer to feed the absorption chiller, in case of scarce solar irradiation. The simulation model was developed using the TRNSYS software, and included the analysis of the dynamic behaviour of the building in which the SHC systems were supposed to be installed. The building was simulated using a single-lumped capacitance model. An economic model was also developed, in order to assess the operating and capital costs of the systems under analysis. Furthermore, a mixed heuristic-deterministic optimization algorithm was implemented, in order to determine the set of the synthesis/design variables that maximize the energy efficiency of each configuration under analysis. The results of the case study were analyzed on monthly and weekly basis, paying special attention to the energy and monetary flows of the standard and optimized configurations. The results are encouraging as for the potential of energy saving. On the contrary, the SHC systems appear still far from the economic profitability: however, this is notoriously true for the great majority of renewable energy systems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Absorption cooling systems based on water/lithium bromide (LiBr) solution typically require an open wet cooling tower to transfer the reject heat to the ambient. Yet, water consumption, the need for water make-up and cleaning, formation of fog, and the risk of Legionella bacteria growth are hindering factors for the implementation of small solar cooling systems. The application of a latent heat storage supporting the heat rejection of the absorption chiller in conjunction with a dry cooling system allows eliminating the wet cooling tower. By that means heat rejection of the chiller is shifted to periods with lower ambient temperatures, i.e. night time or off-peak hours. The system concept and the hydraulic scheme together with an analysis of the energetic performance of the system are presented, followed by a report on the operation of a first pilot installation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The chemical heat pumps using monovariant solid/gas reactions and thermal solar energy are potentially interesting for the air-conditioning of building (heating in winter or mid-season and refreshing in summer). They provide a function of storage without loss and potentially at high energy density. The selected reaction involves SrBr2 as reactant and H2O as refrigerant fluid. It is adapted to the thermodynamic constraints in temperature (heat provided by plane solar collector, heating and cooling on the level of the floor) and uses reagents having a weak impact for the environment and health. The reactive salt SrBr2 is implemented with an expanded natural graphite in the form of a consolidated material which has acceptable thermal conductivity and permeability adapted to low pressure. The prototype reactor has a total volume of 1m3. It is able to store, with a complete reaction, 60kWh or 40kWh for the heating or cooling function respectively. This prototype was tested under conditions representative of summer or mid-season; the mean heating or cooling powers, typically about 2.5–4kW, are still insufficient because of a low heat transfer at the interface between the reactive layer and the exchanger wall. However this limitation can be clearly attenuated; that is the subject of current work in following these first experiments. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Solar energy is receiving much more attentions in building energy systems in recent years. Solar thermal utilization should be based on the integration of solar collectors into buildings. The facades of buildings can be important solar collectors, and therefore become multifunctional. In addition, solar collectors can be used to enhance the appearance of the façade when considering aesthetic compatibility. Currently, the feasible approach for integration of solar collectors into buildings is to install collectors on the south tilted roofs, south walls, balconies or awnings. Experiences on solar thermal utilization were mainly introduced in this paper, which included solar hot water systems with different design methods in residential buildings and solar-powered integrated energy systems in public buildings. Then the suggestions were given. In the cities of China, an ideal opportunity to carry out solar renovation with roof-integrated collectors is in combination with the rebuilding of apartment roofs from flat to be inclined. With regard to multi-storied residential buildings, central hot water supply system and central-individual hot water supply system are more appropriate in view of aesthetic compatibility of solar collectors with building roof and convenience of management. As for public buildings, it is highly recommended to design solar-powered integrated energy systems for the purpose of high solar fraction. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Integrated SHC system driven by PTC and double-effect absorption chiller. • Mathematical model establishment and validation of the whole system. • Comparison of the SHC system and the conventional gas-driven absorption heating and cooling system. • Annual performance investigations and assessments of the SHC system. With the increasing concerns on energy conservation and environmental protection, solar heating and cooling (SHC) system represents an attractive candidate in building sector. In this paper, an integrated SHC system driven by parabolic trough collector (PTC) and double-effect H 2 O/LiBr absorption chiller was presented. The energy generated by solar collectors was supplied to the absorption chiller during the cooling period, and was directly used for space heating with the integration of plate heat exchanger during the heating period. The mathematical models of the whole system including the collector, the double-effect absorption chiller and the plate heat exchanger were established and were validated by field tests. Based on the proposed models, comparison of the SHC system and the conventional gas-driven absorption heating and cooling system was carried out by case study. The annual performances as well as energetic, economic and environmental assessments of the proposed system were investigated. Results show that, 21.3% of the primary energy consumption and 18.8% of the CO 2 emission can be reduced in SHC system. Therefore, the proposed integrated solar heating and cooling system has a promising application prospect in sustainable development in view of its considerable energy saving benefits, potential economic viability and environmental friendly characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper the integration of vegetable oil-fed reciprocating engines with solar thermal collector is investigated, seeking to design a novel polygeneration system producing: electricity, space heating and cooling and domestic hot water, for a university building located in Naples (Italy), assumed as case study. The polygeneration system is based on the following main components: concentrating parabolic trough solar collector, double-stage LiBr–H2O absorption chiller and a reciprocating engine fed by vegetable oil. The engine operates at full load producing electrical energy which is in part consumed by the building lights and equipments, in part used by the system passive loads and the rest is eventually sold to the grid. In fact, the engine is grid connected in order to perform a convenient net metering. The system was designed and then simulated by means of a zero-dimensional transient simulation model, developed using the TRNSYS software. The simulation tool developed by the authors allows one to analyze the results for different time basis (minutes, days, weeks, months and years), from both energetic and economic points of view. The economic results show that the system under investigation is profitable, especially if properly funded. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The paper is focused on the dynamic simulation of a Photovoltaic/Thermal collector (PVT) integrated in a high-temperature Solar Heating and Cooling (SHC) system. The system is based on the following main components: concentrating parabolic PVT (photovoltaic thermal) collectors, a double-stage LiBr-H2O absorption chiller, storage tanks, auxiliary heaters, balance of plant devices. The PVT is made-up by a parabolic dish concentrator and a triple-junction receiver. The polygeneration system provides electricity, space heating and cooling and domestic hot water for a given building, whose simulation is also included in the model. In particular, PVT produces electric energy, which is in part consumed by the building loads (lights and equipments), in part by the system parasitic loads, whereas the eventual excess is sold to the public grid. Simultaneously, the PVT provides the heat required to drive the absorption chiller. The system was simulated by means of a zero-dimensional transient model, that allows the evaluation of temperature profiles and also heat/electrical energy flows for whatever period of the year. It is also possible to evaluate the overall energetic and economic performance on whatever time basis (day, week, month, year, etc.). The economic results show that the system under investigation can be profitable, if a proper funding policy is available. The paper also includes an extensive parametric analysis aiming at evaluating the set of design and operating parameters (solar field area, tank volumes, set point temperatures, etc.) that maximize the energetic and/or economic performance of the system. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The present work investigates the feasibility of solar heating and cooling (SHC) absorption systems based on combining three types of LiBr–H 2 O absorption chillers (single-, double-, and triple-effect) with common solar thermal collectors available on the market. A single-effect chiller is coupled with evacuated tube collectors (ETCs) – SHC1. A double-effect chiller is integrated with parabolic trough collectors (PTCs), linear Fresnel micro-concentrating collectors (MCTs) and evacuated flat plate collectors (EFPCs) respectively – SHC2, SHC3, and SHC4. PTCs are employed to provide high-temperature heat to a triple-effect absorption chiller (SHC5). Although triple-effect chillers have been around for a while, this paper represents the first system-level analysis of these chillers coupled with high-temperature solar concentrating collectors for air-conditioning applications. A simulation model for each configuration is developed in a transient system simulation environment (TRNSYS 17). Furthermore, a unique, comprehensive perspective is given by investigating the impact of characteristic solar beam radiation to global radiation ratios on the techno-economic performance of the proposed SHC plants for a wide variety of climatic regions worldwide. The results of parametric study suggest that a storage volume of around 70 L/m 2 is a good choice for SHC1, while 40–50 L/m 2 storage capacity is sufficient for the other configurations (SHC2 to SHC5). The simulation results reveal that when the fraction of direct normal irradiance (DNI) is less than 50%, SHC2, SHC3, and SHC5 require larger collector area compared to SHC1, showing there is no advantage in using concentrating collector powered multi-effect chillers over solar single-effect chillers in climates with low DNI level. However, in climates with DNI fractions above 60%, the smallest solar field is achieved by SHC5, followed by SHC2. SHC4, which benefits from both relatively high COP of double-effect chiller and the diffuse component in the solar field, results in the most reasonable trade-off between energetic and economic performance of the system in a wide range of climatic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, a Solar Heating and Cooling (SHC) system including photovoltaic/thermal (PVT) collectors is considered, implementing a novel polygeneration system producing electricity, space heating and cooling and domestic hot water. In particular, PVT collectors operating up to 80°C are considered. A case study for a university building located in Naples (Italy) is developed and discussed. The system is mainly composed by: PVT collectors, a single-stage LiBr–H2O absorption chiller, storage tanks and auxiliary heaters. The system also includes additional balance-of-plant devices: heat exchangers, pumps, controllers, cooling tower, etc. The PVT produces electricity which is utilized in part by the building lights and equipments and in part by the system parasitic loads; the rest is eventually sold to the grid. Simultaneously, the PVT system provides the heat required to drive the absorption chiller. The system performance is analyzed from both energetic and economic points of view by means of a zero-dimensional transient simulation model, developed with TRNSYS. The economic results show that the system under investigation can be profitable, provided that an appropriate funding policy is available. In addition, the overall energetic and economic results are comparable to those reported in literature for similar systems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Thermal energy demand evaluation for typical school buildings. • Design and optimisation of a solar assisted seasonal borehole thermal energy system. • Several dynamic energy simulations located southern Italy were considered. • The payback time of the proposed plant was investigated. Solar heating and cooling systems are reliable and feasible solutions among renewable energy technologies. Indeed, solar thermal devices help reduce primary energy consumption and can reduce electricity demand, thus representing one of the best options for satisfying heating and/or cooling energy supply. The Borehole Thermal Energy Storage (BTES) represents one of the best promising option among the various storage technologies, because the size of the storage can be easily extended by drilling additional boreholes and simply connecting the pipes to the existing boreholes; the overall energy efficiency of this system is about 40–60%. In this paper, the authors present an application of this technology for the heating system of a school building located in the Southern part of Italy. Two different energy schemes are presented: a school equipped with a conventional gas boiler system with radiators and the same school building with a low temperature heat pump system with fan-coils. All simulations were performed in dynamic state by using TRNSYS software. The results of the analysis assessing the energy and economic performances of the two systems highlighting the advantages of the BTES application in the context of Italian market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Optimized control for solar assisted HVAC plant. • Design and operation of solar cooling plant. • Advanced medium temperature solar cooling plant with model predictive controller. Abstract The design phase of a solar heating and cooling plant typically requires detailed data on user demand and weather conditions and the adopted plant configuration is strongly dependent from both of them. Since there are many uncertainties about them, many plants, correctly sized, showed a poor performance in terms of primary energy saving. In this work, the idea of a "variable configuration" solar cooling plant, which can self-tuning its own layout and adapts to different weather and user conditions and can guarantee the maximum primary energy saving, was investigated. The proposed solution tries to include part of the critical problems faced during design phase into the "control problem" solved every time during plant operation in order to guarantee a better primary energy saving independently from unpredictable external conditions. In this way, the "control problem" includes the temperature setpoints, variable flow rate setpoints, storage bypasses, and all the machine range operations. The results obtained by a parametric analysis done with a numeric model specifically developed allowed to evaluate the effective benefits of a variable configuration plant coupled with an MPC controller able to compensate for possible low performance due to wrong design procedure or wrong weather forecast. A maximum performance increment of ∼30% was observed in terms of PER. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At any site, the bankability of a projected solar power plant largely depends on the accuracy and general quality of the solar radiation data generated during the solar resource assessment phase. The term “site adaptation” has recently started to be used in the framework of solar energy projects to refer to the improvement that can be achieved in satellite-derived solar irradiance and model data when short-term local ground measurements are used to correct systematic errors and bias in the original dataset. This contribution presents a preliminary survey of different possible techniques that can improve long-term satellite-derived and model-derived solar radiation data through the use of short-term on-site ground measurements. The possible approaches that are reported here may be applied in different ways, depending on the origin and characteristics of the uncertainties in the modeled data. This work, which is the first step of a forthcoming in-depth assessment of methodologies for site adaptation, has been done within the framework of the International Energy Agency Solar Heating and Cooling Programme Task 46 “Solar Resource Assessment and Forecasting”. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dairy industry uses a number of energy intensive thermal processes like cooling, heating and cleaning that require thermal and electrical energy. Those processes use temperatures between 4 °C and 200 °C that could be potentially powered using solar thermal energy but one of the main challenges is the complexity of selection and integration of the components used for the solar system such as solar collectors, solar heating and cooling equipment. The heating processes with the temperature requirements between 300 °C and 400 °C are mainly powdered using solar parabolic trough collectors and linear Fresnel reflectors while cooling processes with solar absorption chillers. The excesses of energy of above 200 °C could be stored in a thermal energy storage system. This study critically evaluates the thermal demands of the dairy processes, review their existing solar thermal applications and recommends a concept design for solar thermal energy integration based on the available data. The concept design includes connection of the solar collectors and thermal energy storage to the thermal energy supply line through the absorption chiller and steam drum. The benefits comprise flexibility of the heat transfer fluid selection, independency of solar energy production to conventional production and no further modification of the conventional production system or additional capacity to support the future upgrades are required. • The dairy processes have a great potencial to use solar energy for their processes. • The most suitable solar collectors proved to be Parabolic trough and Fresnel reflector. • They can be integrated through the energy supply lines of the processes. • The cooling processes could be additionally powered using absorption chiller. • The new concept design of the solar collectors and thermal energy storage is presented in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a dynamic simulation model and a thermo-economic analysis of a novel polygeneration system based on a solar-assisted heat pump and an adsorption chiller, both driven by PVT (photovoltaic/thermal) collectors. The aim of this work is to design and dynamically simulate a novel ultra-high efficient solar heating and cooling system. The overall plant layout is designed to supply electricity, space heating and cooling and domestic hot water for a small residential building. The system combines solar cooling, solar-assisted heat pump and photovoltaic/thermal collector technologies in a novel solar polygeneration system. In fact, the polygeneration system is based on a PVT solar field, coupled with a water-to-water electric heat pump or to an adsorption chiller. PVT collectors simultaneously produce electricity and thermal energy. During the winter, hot water produced by PVT collectors primarily supplies the evaporator of the heat pump, whereas in summer, solar energy supplies an adsorption chiller providing the required space cooling. All year long, solar thermal energy in excess is converted into DHW (domestic hot water). The system model was developed in TRNSYS environment. 1-year dynamic simulations are performed for different case studies in various weather conditions. The results are analysed on different time bases presenting energetic, environmental and economic performance data. Finally, a sensitivity analysis and a thermoeconomic optimization were performed, in order to determine the set of system design/control parameters that minimize the simple pay-back period. The results showed a total energy efficiency of the PVT of 49%, a heat pump yearly coefficient of performance for heating mode above 4 and a coefficient of performance of the adsorption chiller of 0.55. Finally, it is also concluded that system performance is highly sensitive to the PVT field area. The system is profitable when a capital investment subsidy of 50% is considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The paper investigates the integration of renewable energy sources and water systems, presenting a novel solar system producing simultaneously: electrical energy, thermal energy, cooling energy and domestic water. Such system is designed for small communities in European Mediterranean countries, rich in renewable sources and poor in fossil fuels and water resources. The polygeneration system under analysis includes PVT (photovoltaic/thermal solar collectors), a MED (multi-effect distillation) system for SW (seawater) desalination, a single-stage LiBr–H2O ACH (absorption chiller) and additional components, such as storage tanks, AHs (auxiliary heaters) and BOP (balance of plant) devices. The PVT produces simultaneously electrical energy and thermal energy. The electrical energy is delivered to the grid, whereas the thermal energy may be used for space heating and/or domestic HW (hot water) production. As an alternative, the solar thermal energy can be used to drive an ACH, producing CHW (chilled water) for space cooling. Finally, the solar energy, in combination with the thermal energy produced by an auxiliary biomass-fired heater, may be used by the MED system to convert SW into potable water. The system is dynamically simulated by means of a zero-dimensional transient simulation model. A thermo-economic analysis is also presented, aiming at determining the optimal values of the most important design variables. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper analyzes the thermodynamic performance of high-temperature PhotoVoltaic/Thermal (PVT) solar collectors. The collector is based on a combination of a parabolic dish concentrating solar thermal collector and a high efficiency solar photovoltaic collector. The PVT system under investigation allows one to produce simultaneously electrical energy and high-temperature thermal energy by solar irradiation. The main aim of this study is the design and the analysis of a concentrating PVT which is able to operate at reasonable electric and thermal efficiency up to 180 °C. In fact, the PVT is designed to be integrated in a Solar Heating and Cooling system and it must drive a two-effect absorption chiller. This capability is quite new since conventional PVT collectors usually operate below 45 °C. Among the possible high-temperature PVT systems, this paper is focused on a system consisting in a dish concentrator and in a triple-junction PV layer. In particular, the prototype consists in a parabolic dish concentrator and a planar receiver. The system is equipped with a double axis tracking system. The bottom surface of the receiver is equipped with triple-junction silicon cells whereas the top surface is insulated. In order to analyze the performance of the Concentrating PVT (CPVT) collector a detailed mathematical model was implemented. This model is based on zero-dimensional energy balances on the control volumes of the system. The simulation model allows one to calculate in detail the temperatures of the main components of the system (PV layer, concentrator, fluid inlet and outlet and metallic substrate) and the main energy flows (electrical energy, useful thermal energy, radiative losses, convective losses). The input parameters of the model include all the weather conditions (temperature, insolation, wind velocity, etc.) and the geometrical/material parameters of the systems (lengths, thermal resistances, thicknesses, etc.). Results showed that both electrical and thermal efficiencies are very good in a wide range of operating conditions. The study also includes a comprehensive sensitivity analysis in which the main design variables were varied in order to evaluate the related variations of both electrical and thermal efficiencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The costs of fuels and energy in the Czech Republic have rapidly increased in the last two decades. This situation in the energy market has bolstered the interest in the development of heating and cooling systems utilizing renewable energy sources, especially solar energy. The utilization of renewable energy sources in residential and office buildings very often requires an effective way of thermal energy storage. Thermal energy storage is an essential part of most of the solar heating and cooling systems. The solar gains through the transparent part of the building envelope can reduce energy consumption for heating during the heating season thus saving the energy from conventional heat sources (electricity, natural gas, coal). On the other hand, solar heat gains through the building envelope contribute to overheating in summer or during the sunny days in spring and autumn. From this point of view the energy storage capacity of building structures plays an important role in indoor temperature control in a building. That means that building structures can be employed to store solar heat during the sunny and warm part of the day and release it at night when the outdoor temperature decreases. This approach is applicable only on sunny days with relatively high outdoor temperatures during the day and low outdoor temperatures at night. The sensible heat storage capacity of common building structures depends on the weight of the structure, its thermal capacity and the temperature difference between the start and the end of the heat storage process. Because of the thermal comfort requirements that limit the indoor temperature swing during the day the thermal capacity of common building materials is usually insufficient to provide thermal storage for this purpose. This is where latent heat thermal storage can be applied. Latent heat storage represents much more effective way to improve the thermal storage capacity of a building structure. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The long term stagnation impair the thermal performance. Four type solar collectors have been selected for the stagnation test, The test result of thermal performance before and after stagnation of selected solar collectors will be useful for solar heating and cooling system design and operation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Within the framework of the French program called Emergence aimed at financing high quality solar heating and cooling demonstration projects, a first solar cooling installation was designed in 2011, and then installed on the beginning of 2012. This installation is based on an innovative and energy efficient concept to optimize solar energy valorization all year long: hybrid solar Domestic Hot Water and cooling strategy. The actual monitoring data won’t be shown on this document since the implementation of the system is still not over at the time of the paper redaction, but simulation data will be shown. This document will also give a feedback about implementing such systems and will show the high interest of such strategy to combine long term quality, simplicity of use and economical efficiency. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The use of solar energy in recent years had reached a remarkable edge. The continuous research for an alternative power source due to the perceived scarcity of fuel fossils is its driving force. It had become even more popular as the cost of fossil fuel continues to rise. Of all the renewable sources of energy available, solar energy is the most abundant one and is available in both direct as well as indirect forms. Solar energy applications were divided mainly into two categories: the first is the direct conversion to electricity using solar cells (electrical applications). The second is the thermal applications. The latter include solar heating, solar cooling, solar drying, solar cooking, solar ponds, solar distillation, solar furnaces, solar-thermal power generation, solar water heating, solar air heating, etc. Detailed description, fundamentals and previous work performed on solar dryers and solar air heaters, as the vital element for the indirect and mixed modes of solar dryers, were presented in the present review paper. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Solar energy is receiving much more attention in building energy systems in recent years. Solar thermal utilization should be based on integration of solar collectors into buildings. The facades of buildings can be important solar collectors, and, therefore, become multifunctional. In addition, solar collectors can be used to enhance the appearance of the facade when considering their aesthetic compatibility. Currently, installation of collectors on the south tilted roofs, south walls, balconies or awnings of buildings are the feasible approaches for integration of solar collectors into buildings. The most well known solar energy demonstration projects in China are introduced in this paper, which cover different integrated approaches, and solar heating and cooling systems. In China''s cities, the process of rebuilding apartment roofs from flat to inclined offers the ideal opportunity to carry out solar renovation in combination with roof-integrated collectors. It can be seen from the demonstration projects over the last twenty years, that, solar cooling systems were mainly used in public buildings for either absorption or adsorption. Besides, nearly all solar cooling systems are multifunctional. They have been used to supply heating and hot water in other seasons for the purpose of high solar fraction. In the 11th Five-year research project (duration 2006–2010), the government has encouraged solar energy researchers to study, develop, and break through the key technologies involved in the integration of solar thermal technologies with buildings. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Air conditioning of buildings is responsible for a large percentage of the greenhouse and ozone depletion effect, as refrigerant harmful gases are released into the atmosphere from conventional cooling systems. The need to implement advanced new concepts in building air conditioning systems is more crucial than ever today. Solar cooling systems (SCS) have the advantage of using absolutely harmless working fluids such as water, or solutions of certain salts. They are energy efficient and environmentally safe. They can be used, either as stand-alone systems or with conventional AC, to improve the indoor air quality of all types of buildings. The main goal is to utilize “zero emissions” technologies to reduce energy consumption and reduce CO2 emissions. Amongst cooling technologies, absorption cooling seems to have a promising market potential. In this paper, the performance and economic evaluation of a solar heating and cooling system of a hospital in Crete, is studied using the transient simulation program (TRNSYS). The meteorological year file exploited the hourly weather data where produced by 30-year statistical process. The required data were obtained by Hellenic National Meteorological Service. The objective of this study is to simulate a complete system comprised of a solar collector, a storage tank, a backup heat source, a water cooling tower and a LiBr-H2O absorption chiller. The exploitation of the results of the simulation provided the optimum sizing of the system. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In spite of the fact that Spain is one of the EU countries with the highest solar resource on annual basis, the huge seasonal variation in solar radiation availability and the relatively short period with heating demand, make it difficult to reach significant contributions of solar energy to the buildings heating energy demand. This compromises the economic viability of big solar collector areas per capita, and introduces technical difficulties for the dissipation of the excess solar energy available in the summer months. On the other hand, in a large part of the Spanish territory, in other to reach adequate comfort conditions in our buildings, the energy demand for cooling is more important or of the same order than the heating demand. Cooling energy demand is now experiencing a fast growing rate as this comfort requirement becomes internalized. Domestic air conditioning equipments based on vapour compression cycles are being used to reach comfort conditions in some of the rooms of buildings that were designed without taking into account cooling requirements. In spite of their so far small contribution to the total building sector energy demand, these equipments are already imposing important constraints on the environment and the electricity distribution system. Solar absorption cooling arises as an interesting alternative, which at the same time allows reaching a higher solar contribution to the heating demand. However, solar cooling installations present several peculiarities with respect to the more known DHW or even heating installations, which require to incorporate a more detailed approach and additional considerations in the design and performance evaluation processes. Besides, some limitations still persist in solar absorption systems, which could make them loose their market potential for the benefit of other solar cooling options. In this paper, we present some conclusions arising from the experience gained in detailed TRNSYS dynamical simulation of some of the first commercial solar heating and cooling installations recently implemented in Spain, and analyse their perspectives in comparison with other solar cooling options. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The increase in the use of solar energy closely depends on the development of efficient storage processes. Solid–gas sorption processes are a promising option as they offer a high storage capacity and their specific working mode. In this paper, the integration of a sorption process based on the use of bromide strontium as the reactant and water as the refrigerant fluid is investigated. Combined with flat plate solar collectors and direct floor heating and cooling, the system makes it possible to provide a heating and a cooling storage function. Experimental tests have been conducted in the temperature ranges used in the solar heating and cooling systems. A simple model is proposed which allows an estimation of the performances in line with the heat and mass transfer characteristics of the reactive solid. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

New solar absorber coatings are developed and used in advanced collector designs with improved efficiency. The operation temperature and stagnation temperature as the main durability load for the absorbers were increasing during the past due to these innovations. Especially the highly selective new coatings have to suffer by these stronger loads. The service life estimation procedures developed in the framework of research activities of the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme (Task 10 and Working Group Materials in Solar–Thermal Collectors) were based on load profiles for less-advanced absorbers and collectors and did not take into account the impact of the optical properties of the absorber coatings on the stagnation temperature of the collectors, which is the main reason for temperature degradation. A new procedure was developed, which allows testing depending on the optical properties (Solar absorptance and thermal emittance) of the absorbers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

To achieve successful commercialisation of new advanced windows and solar façade components for buildings, the durability of these need to be demonstrated prior to installation by use of reliable and well-accepted test methods. In Task 27 Performance of Solar Facade Components of the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme work has therefore been undertaken with the objective to develop a general methodology for durability test procedures and service lifetime prediction methods adaptable to the wide variety of advanced optical materials and components used in energy efficient solar thermal and buildings applications. As the result of this work a general methodology has been developed. The proposed methodology includes three steps: (a) initial risk analysis of potential failure modes, (b) screening testing/analysis for service life prediction and microclimate characterisation, and (c) service life prediction involving mathematical modelling and life testing.The applicability of the working scheme to be employed in the development of durability test procedures has been analysed for selective solar absorber surfaces and polymeric glazing materials in flat plate solar collectors. The examples show the great applicability of the general methodology for accelerated life testing. This will allow much shorter development cycle times for new products and will allow improvements to be identified and readily incorporated in new products prior to market introduction. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Humidity inside the collectors is one factor that can be minimised to keep the most favourable microclimatic condition for the internal materials of the collector. This microclimate inside the collector is an important factor in determining the service lifetime of an absorber coating. During the design of the collector, the location and size of ventilation holes, properties of the insulation materials and dimension of the solar collector box are parameters that have to be taken into account for the optimisation in order to achieve the most favourable microclimate to prevent corrosion.Simulation of the microclimate in solar thermal collectors can be a valuable tool for optimisation of the collector with respect to ventilation. A computer model has been established for fulfilling this. By using this tool the producers can be advised whether their solar collectors ought to be additionally tightened, or whether more ventilation openings should be made and what influence the insulation material has. Guidelines for collector designers are proposed. The design guidelines provide some suggestions to be considered during the design of solar collectors.The work was carried out within the framework of the working group Materials in Solar Thermal Collectors of the International Energy Agency-Solar Heating and Cooling Programme. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights • Operational frequency deduced both analytically and computationally. • Previously untested cooling configuration found to be the optimal. • Development of validated computer model of physical system. • Liquid piston instability linked to Rayleigh-Taylor phenomenon. • Liquid piston maximum acceleration limit identified. Abstract The objective of this research project is to develop a solar-powered refrigerator in the lower capacity range of up to 5 kW of cooling power. With the use of liquid pistons and one of the most efficient thermodynamic cycles known, the Stirling cycle, this product has the potential to outperform rival solar cooling technologies while providing inexpensive, reliable, quiet, environmentally-friendly, and efficient solar cooling for residential use, due to its straightforward manufacturing, simple design and inert working gas. Presented in this paper are the newest results of the theoretical and experimental investigation into deducing the key design parameters and system configuration of the so-called Liquid Piston Stirling Cooler (LPSC), which will help lead to optimal performance. Computer models of the complex unconstrained system have been constructed and validated using the modelling software Sage and shown to replicate system behavior with reasonable accuracy in experiments. The models have been used to predict system improvements and identify limitations imposed by the use of liquid pistons. The results to date provide a unique insight into a relatively little studied area in Stirling cycle research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar energy can play a leading role in reducing the current reliance on fossil fuels and in increasing renewable energy integration in the built environment, and its affordable deployment is widely recognised as an important global engineering grand challenge. Of particular interest are solar energy systems based on hybrid photovoltaic-thermal (PV-T) collectors, which can reach overall efficiencies of 70% or higher, with electrical efficiencies up to 15–20% and thermal efficiencies in excess of 50%, depending on the conditions. In most applications, the electrical output of a hybrid PV-T system is the priority, hence the contacting fluid is used to cool the PV cells and to maximise their electrical performance, which imposes a limit on the fluid’s downstream use. When optimising the overall output of PV-T systems for combined heating and/or cooling provision, this solution can cover more than 60% of the heating and about 50% of the cooling demands of households in the urban environment. To achieve this, PV-T systems can be coupled to heat pumps, or absorption refrigeration systems as viable alternatives to vapour-compression systems. This work considers the techno-economic challenges of such systems, when aiming at a low cost per kW h of combined energy generation (co- or tri-generation) in the housing sector. First, the technical viability and affordability of the proposed systems are studied in ten European locations, with local weather profiles, using annually and monthly averaged solar-irradiance and energy-demand data relating to homes with a total floor area of 100 m 2 (4–5 persons) and a rooftop area of 50 m 2 . Based on annual simulations, Seville, Rome, Madrid and Bucharest emerge as the most promising locations from those examined, and the most efficient system configuration involves coupling PV-T panels to water-to-water heat pumps that use the PV-T thermal output to maximise the system’s COP. Hourly resolved transient models are then defined in TRNSYS, including thermal energy storage, in order to provide detailed estimates of system performance, since it is found that the temporal resolution (e.g. hourly, daily, yearly) of the simulations strongly affects their predicted performance. The TRNSYS results indicate that PV-T systems have the potential to cover 60% of the combined (space and hot water) heating and almost 100% of the cooling demands of homes (annually integrated) at all four aforementioned locations. Finally, when accounting for all useful energy outputs from the PV-T systems, the overall levelised cost of energy of these systems is found to be in the range of 0.06–0.12 €/kW h, which is 30–40% lower than that of equivalent PV-only systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper presents an overview of the parabolic-trough collectors that have been built and marketed during the past century, as well as the prototypes currently under development. It also presents a survey of systems which could incorporate this type of concentrating solar system to supply thermal energy up to 400°C, especially steam power cycles for electricity generation, including examples of each application. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Prevalent quality assessment of drying materials with solar energy was reviewed. • The potential application of solar drying for high-quality dried products was introduced. • The physical and chemical mechanisms of quality transformation during drying process were clarified. Solar energy is a green and renewable clean energy. Using this as main or auxiliary energy to dry agricultural materials could reduce energy consumption and improve product quality. In the drying process of agricultural materials, not only drying technologies but also drying parameters would affect the quality of materials. This paper provides a guided technological tour on solar drying through a literature research. An overview about the drying technologies to evaluate the drying quality, such as traditional sun drying, solar tunnel drying, solar greenhouse drying, solar-assisted drying system, is presented to demonstrate advances and application potential of solar drying. Finally, variable temperature drying is preliminarily proposed and tested to verify its superiority of energy saving and drying quality improvement. The literature research in this paper gives a reference on the effective application of solar drying through specifying the mechanisms of quality transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]