Solar co-generation applied in buildings has the advantage of increasing the energy output per unit installed collector area. This paper investigates a centralized photovoltaic and hot-water collector system that can serve as a water pre-heating system for a multistory apartment building in a warm climate region. Collectors are mounted on vertical facades. Electricity generated by the system is consumed by the circulation pumps and the water heaters. The facade integration, together with the heat and electricity co-generation, are features embedding both active and passive solar technology. A numerical model that analyzes its energy performance in an apartment building in Hong Kong is described. The study has been based on practical design requirements. It is estimated that, with the use of amorphous-silicon hybrid collectors which cover two-thirds of the west- and south-facing facades, the system is able to support one-third of the thermal energy required for water heating.
A hybrid cooling, heating and power (HCHP) concept was recently demonstrated through a DOD innovative energy program. It included several high performance components for distributed energy systems and a unique drive-train design, which efficiently converts waste heat into useful energy in the form of cooling, heating and power depending upon the energy needs. Compared to a standard military environmental control unit (ECU) which puts an electric load on a diesel generator, the HCHP system uses engine exhaust heat as the primary energy input. Utilizing the exhaust heat can potentially provide 27% reduction on fuel consumption when operating in the cooling mode. When cooling is not needed, it is able to provide power output using engine waste heat — a potentially significant advantage over other heat activated cooling technologies.
A unique hybrid cooling, heating and power (HCHP) concept has been recently developed as an alternative to environmental control units. It combines a small-scale organic Rankine cycle (ORC) with a vapor compression cycle. The unique drive-train design flexibly and efficiently converts engine waste heat into useful energy in the form of cooling, heating and power depending upon the energy needs. Compared to a standard military environmental control unit which puts an electric load on a diesel generator, the HCHP system uses engine exhaust heat as the primary energy input. Utilizing the exhaust heat can potentially provide 27% reduction on fuel consumption when operating in the cooling mode. When cooling is not needed, it is able to provide power and/or heating output using engine waste heat – a significant advantage over other heat activated cooling technologies. The prototype unit based on the HCHP design has been developed to demonstrate the concept. It leveraged the microchannel heat exchanger and scroll expander technologies to achieve high-performance, small-size and low-cost design in order to meet the growing distributed energy applications.
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