Technical evaluation of a stand-alone photovoltaic heat pump system without batteries for cooling applications

Lorenzo, C.; Narvarte, Luís; Almeida, R.H.; Cristóbal, Ana Belén

doi:10.1016/j.solener.2020.05.097

Cited by 11 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…A recent work by the IES-UPM has developed a control algorithm for stand-alone PV-HP systems that permits up to 75% of the PV power fluctuations caused by passing clouds to be resisted [5] (hence eliminating the need for electric storage). This solution powers the compressor of the HP unit directly with a PV generator through a programmable frequency converter, mitigating solar power fluctuations by means of a PID control.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Overall, coupling PV and HP systems leads to an economic, energy efficient and environmentally friendly alternative for heating and cooling. The interest of the scholarly community in these systems was already evidenced in [5]. The most popular installations in recent years are grid-connected air-to-air systems, reporting operation performances from a complete cooling season [6,7] to a full year [8,9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…When these fluctuations are very fast, they might provoke sudden stops in the system that stress both its electrical and mechanical components and can reduce its lifetime. However, a technical solution recently developed by the Institute of Solar Energy at the Polytechnic University of Madrid (IES-UPM) has proved to be able to resist up to 75% of the clouds without using EES [5]. This solution powers the compressor of the HP unit directly with a PV generator through a programmable frequency converter, mitigating solar power fluctuations by means of a PID control.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Comparative Economic Feasibility Study of Photovoltaic Heat Pump Systems for Industrial Space Heating and Cooling

2020

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The use of photovoltaic (PV) systems for powering heat pumps (HP) leads to an economic, energy efficient and environmentally friendly alternative for heating and cooling generation. A technical solution developed by the authors permits stand-alone configurations to operate without batteries, mitigating up to 75% of the solar power fluctuations resulting from cloud-passing. Once its technical feasibility has been demonstrated, the economic potential of this innovative solution should be assessed (avoiding a battery system is a significant advantage). This paper presents a comparative economic assessment of this autonomous (AU) solution and a self-consumption (SC) solution, that would substitute a grid-powered HP system for the space heating and cooling of two livestock farms located in Spain. Results show that PV-HP systems are economically feasible regardless of the technical solution: the Profitability Index (PI) is in the 2.23–2.97 €/€ range, the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) is in the 8.1–10.9% range, the Payback Period (PBP) is in the 9.2–11 years range and the savings in terms of the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) are in the 57–70% range. The AU solution offers a higher economic profitability, because it permits larger savings in the electricity bill. The SC solution presents lower LCOEs because of its greater electricity production.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Comparative Economic Feasibility Study of Photovoltaic Heat Pump Systems for Industrial Space Heating and Cooling

2020

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“…PVRs can achieve primary energy savings of between 20% and 70% due to the supply of electricity to other equipment when the CRS is not in operation [51,52]. In recent years, studies have focused on reversible heat pump systems and the removal of the battery set for direct drives, reducing the investment cost of the system by up to 84% [53][54][55].…”

Section: Historical Evolution Of Cooling Equipment and Main Solar Cooling Technologiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Review of Polygeneration Schemes with Solar Cooling Technologies and Potential Industrial Applications

et al. 2021

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The trend to reduce CO2 emissions in cooling processes has made it possible to increase the alternatives for integrating solar energy with thermal equipment whose viability depends on its adaptation to polygeneration schemes. Despite the enormous potential offered by the industry for cooling and heating processes, solar cooling technologies (SCT) have been explored in a limited way in the industrial sector. This work discusses the potential applications of industrial SCTs and classifies hybrid polygeneration schemes based on supplying cold, heat, electricity, and desalination of water; summarizes the leading SCTs, and details the main indicators of polygeneration configurations in terms of reductions on primary energy consumption and payback times. To achieve an energy transition in refrigeration processes, the scenarios with the most significant potential are: the food manufacturing industry (water immersion and crystallization processes), the beverage industry (fermentation and storage processes), and the mining industry (underground air conditioning).

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“…The latter takes half CAPEX and an even greater share of TCO, so it is highly important to reduce this component once possible. The introduction of variable load gives a great opportunity to resolve this issue and to improve economic performance of photovoltaic systems, but it is mainly considered for peak-shaving in grids [23][24][25][26] rather than off-grid operation [27,28].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inverter Heat Pumps as a Variable Load for Off-Grid Solar-Powered Systems

et al. 2023

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The capacity of electric air conditioning and heating systems is growing rapidly, as is the nameplate capacity of PV power plants. While the demand for cooling has a positive correlation with solar irradiance, the demand for heating has an opposite relation. In this study, different approaches to design (aggregation; thermal, battery, and implicit storage) and control (frequency conversion; variable and adaptive load) and their effects on the efficiency of an off-grid active thermal stabilisation system based on a solar-powered heat pump are analysed. The case considered is a permafrost thermal stabilisation system in Norway. It is shown that proper layout and control of the system with an adaptive load can reduce capital expenditures and the total cost of ownership by 30–40%. Increases in the capacity factor and cooling stability of the systems with aggregated and variable loads are studied. The downside is that there is an increase in the compressor’s operation time by 50% with a variable load and by 25% per unit with aggregation, which means more frequent replacement in terms of motor hours. The approaches considered are applicable in a wide range of solar-powered facilities with a positive correlation between solar irradiation and energy demand, but the results are quite case-sensitive. The prospects of using excess refrigerant and soil for thermal energy storage instead of traditional electrochemical batteries are considered.

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Technical evaluation of a stand-alone photovoltaic heat pump system without batteries for cooling applications

Cited by 11 publications

References 20 publications

A Comparative Economic Feasibility Study of Photovoltaic Heat Pump Systems for Industrial Space Heating and Cooling

A Comparative Economic Feasibility Study of Photovoltaic Heat Pump Systems for Industrial Space Heating and Cooling

Review of Polygeneration Schemes with Solar Cooling Technologies and Potential Industrial Applications

Inverter Heat Pumps as a Variable Load for Off-Grid Solar-Powered Systems

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