ShareGL2012 highlights: photovoltaic vs solar thermal cooling in Europe
In their paper presented during the 10th IIR Gustav Lorentzen Conference on Natural Refrigerants in June 2012, Kohlenbach et al. give an outlook of the current and potential situation of solar cooling in Europe.
In their paper* presented during the 10th IIR Gustav Lorentzen Conference on Natural Refrigerants in June 2012, Kohlenbach et al. give an outlook of the current and potential situation of solar cooling in Europe.
With 600 solar thermal cooling systems installed worldwide and a majority of these operating in Europe, solar cooling is still a niche technology. Multiple market barriers, mostly of an economic nature, prevent the technology from achieving bigger market shares.
Thanks to recent photovoltaic (PV) panels price drops, photovoltaic-based cooling using PV panels to generate electricity connected to a conventional air conditioner has become a competitive technology to solar thermal cooling.
Using a comparison of photovoltaic vapour-compression cooling against solar thermal cooling with an absorption chiller and a grid-connected reference chiller, the authors conclude that at current conditions (0.12 €/kWhel) the PV-based cooling (PVS) has a lower lifetime cost than the solar thermal cooling system.
However, both systems have higher lifetime costs than a grid-connected conventional system.
The comparison was made for a commercial system of 230 kWr cooling capacity.
A sensitivity analysis based on the price of electricity showed that a PV-based system becomes the most economic cooling alternative if the electricity price exceeds 0.21 €/ kWhel.
A solar thermal system becomes more economic than a conventional system for electricity prices above of 0.34 €/ kWhel.
Greenhouse gas emissions were found to be lowest (negative) for the PV-based system due to the excess power being generated over the lifetime.
The solar thermal system saves approx. 75% of the emissions of the conventional system.
* Photovoltaic vs solar thermal cooling: a comparison for Europe, P. Kohlenbach. et al.
This paper can be downloaded wia the IIR’s Fridoc database (free for IIR members within the framework of their quota of free downloads). You just have to login and search for the paper via the Fridoc database.
With 600 solar thermal cooling systems installed worldwide and a majority of these operating in Europe, solar cooling is still a niche technology. Multiple market barriers, mostly of an economic nature, prevent the technology from achieving bigger market shares.
Thanks to recent photovoltaic (PV) panels price drops, photovoltaic-based cooling using PV panels to generate electricity connected to a conventional air conditioner has become a competitive technology to solar thermal cooling.
Using a comparison of photovoltaic vapour-compression cooling against solar thermal cooling with an absorption chiller and a grid-connected reference chiller, the authors conclude that at current conditions (0.12 €/kWhel) the PV-based cooling (PVS) has a lower lifetime cost than the solar thermal cooling system.
However, both systems have higher lifetime costs than a grid-connected conventional system.
The comparison was made for a commercial system of 230 kWr cooling capacity.
A sensitivity analysis based on the price of electricity showed that a PV-based system becomes the most economic cooling alternative if the electricity price exceeds 0.21 €/ kWhel.
A solar thermal system becomes more economic than a conventional system for electricity prices above of 0.34 €/ kWhel.
Greenhouse gas emissions were found to be lowest (negative) for the PV-based system due to the excess power being generated over the lifetime.
The solar thermal system saves approx. 75% of the emissions of the conventional system.
* Photovoltaic vs solar thermal cooling: a comparison for Europe, P. Kohlenbach. et al.
This paper can be downloaded wia the IIR’s Fridoc database (free for IIR members within the framework of their quota of free downloads). You just have to login and search for the paper via the Fridoc database.