Solar Air Conditioning: A Review of Technological and Market Perspectives

Abstract The close relation between maximum insolation, and a building's cooling loads and peak electricity demand indicates that solar-assisted cooling (SAC) is an interesting method of successfully handling this issue. Furthermore, from an environmental viewpoint, SAC arises as a promising alternative to conventional, electrically driven air conditioning since it results in decreased carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and does not use of ozonedepleting or greenhouse gas (GHG) refrigerants. The utilization of solar energy in air conditioning may in this sense be the challenge for the next major growth of the solar thermal market. Nevertheless, there is a long way to go, and SAC technologies must prove that they are competitive. This chapter discusses the principles and the state of the art of SAC. Technical and non-technical advantages and barriers are also presented, as well as the possibility of using active SAC technologies, and technical issues raised by the use of electrically driven conventional air-conditioning systems are identified. Finally, by utilizing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats (SWOT) analysis, conclusions are drawn with respect to measures and strategies for enhancing SAC technologies.

[1]  Mark Luther,et al.  Energy efficient envelope design for high-rise apartments , 2005 .

[2]  Agis M. Papadopoulos,et al.  Perspectives of solar cooling in view of the developments in the air-conditioning sector , 2003 .

[3]  Hans-Martin Henning,et al.  Solar-assisted air conditioning in buildings : a handbook for planners , 2007 .

[4]  R. E. Critoph.  Rapid cycling solar/biomass powered adsorption refrigeration system , 1999 .

[5]  Felix Ziegler,et al.  State of the art in sorption heat pumping and cooling technologies , 2002 .

[6]  G. Almonacid,et al.  Regional energy planning through SWOT analysis and strategic planning tools.: Impact on renewables development , 2007 .

[7]  Aris Tsangrassoulis,et al.  Modifications in energy demand in urban areas as a result of climate changes: an assessment for the southeast Mediterranean region , 2001 .

[8]  M. Santamouris,et al.  On the impact of urban climate on the energy consumption of buildings , 2001 .

[9]  Jian Wen Chan,et al.  What is solar cooling , 2009 .

[10]  Philip W. Anderson.  Solar absorption cooling , 1978 .

[11]  Pierre Neveu,et al.  A review of chemical heat pump technology and applications , 2001 .

[12]  K. Sumathy,et al.  Technology development in the solar absorption air-conditioning systems , 2000 .

[13]  Dirk Schawe,et al.  Theoretical and experimental investigations of an adsorption heat pump with heat transfer between two adsorbers , 2001 .

[14]  S. Chungpaibulpatana,et al.  A review of absorption refrigeration technologies , 2001 .

[15]  Aris Tsangrassoulis,et al.  On the cooling potential of night ventilation techniques in the urban environment , 2005 .

[16]  Dong-Seon Kim,et al.  SOLAR ABSORPTION COOLING , 2007 .

[17]  Xiaobo Wu,et al.  Research on strategic environmental analysis of small hydropower enterprises in china: a case study of ZhongDaSanChuan Hydropower Ltd. , 2005, Proceedings. 2005 IEEE International Engineering Management Conference, 2005..

[18]  Lei Wang,et al.  Solar air conditioning in Europe--an overview , 2007 .

[19]  Arif Hepbasli,et al.  Evaluating performance indices of a shopping centre and implementing HVAC control principles to minimize energy usage , 2004 .

[20]  Agis M. Papadopoulos,et al.  The influence of street canyons on the cooling loads of buildings and the performance of air conditioning systems , 2001 .

[21]  A. A. M. Sayigh,et al.  Solar air conditioning and refrigeration , 1992 .

[22]  Watts S. Humphrey.  The Personal Software Process , 1997, Proceedings Frontiers in Education 1997 27th Annual Conference. Teaching and Learning in an Era of Change.

[23]  Theocharis Tsoutsos,et al.  Solar cooling technologies in Greece. An economic viability analysis , 2003 .

[24]  Amy K. Richmond,et al.  Energy Prices and Turning Points: The Relationship between Income and Energy Use/Carbon Emissions , 2006 .

[25]  Agis M. Papadopoulos,et al.  Impact of energy pricing on buildings' energy design , 2006 .

[26]  C. E. Dorgan,et al.  ASHRAE's new application guide for absorption cooling/refrigeration using recovered heat , 1995 .

[27]  Hans-Martin Henning,et al.  Solar assisted air conditioning of buildings – an overview , 2004 .

[28]  Reinhard Radermacher,et al.  Performance assessment of multistage absorption cycles , 1996 .

[29]  Peter Lamp,et al.  European research on solar-assisted air conditioning , 1998 .

[30]  A. F. Elsafty,et al.  Economical comparison between a solar-powered vapour absorption air-conditioning system and a vapour compression system in the Middle East , 2002 .