Coupling solar collectors and cogeneration units in solar assisted heating and cooling systems

The present work reports the main issues of coupling solar collectors and cogeneration units for heating and cooling purposes which have been derived from the detailed analysis of a study case. The work suggests a procedure for planning such systems so that solar collectors and a cogenerator do not interfere in their respective operation. The procedure includes the selection of a layout, the definition of a control strategy and the sizing of each component of such a plant. The outputs of the procedure are used in TRNSYS dynamic simulations to assess the performance of the planned plant.