PV Comfort cooling
The aim is to develop a solar-powered comfort cooling system, where electricity produced by solar cells via a heat pump is converted to air conditioning in the existing ventilation system, via connected ice storage. The excess heat is used to heat water and the control ensures that the system stores energy for cooling based on weather forecasts.
Project:
In combining different energy technologies – heat pumps, photovoltaic and storage with an intelligent control system, the developed solution allows for cost efficient comfort cooling of existing office spaces and commercial buildings, that have overheating issues caused by direct sunlight. The solution is adapted to the existing ventilation of the buildings and will be off-grid in order to avoid costly energy rates for comfort cooling.
Situation:
Modern architecture and many low-energy buildings support inhabitants´ by means of large glass facades. This generates large amount of heat that ultimately affects indoor climate.
Technology:
A complete solar plant with solar panels and converter is called a PV system. The PV system is not connected to the grid. The PV system drive a heat pump with a supplementary ice-storage connected to the existing ventilation system in the building. In order for these technologies to be linked into the same system, a control system must be developed. The system must ensure that the different components can communicate while taking into account weather forecast, sunlight etc., in order to ensure an efficient and useful cooling solution.
The project result was a fully functional prototype that delivers the expected and needed amount of cooling to the facility. It is a reliable system that has not had any serious function errors. The prototype possesses further development potential, for instance concerning scalability of components, and more advanced control. Utilization of excess heat and future smart grid integration are subjects for further development.
Key figures
Category
Dokumenter
Participants
| Partner | Subsidy | Auto financing |
|---|---|---|
| ENERGI NORD A/S | 0,57 mio. DKK | 0,72 mio. DKK |
| Seluxit | 0,19 mio. DKK | 0,23 mio. DKK |
| Aalborg Universitet (Fredrik Bajers Vej) | 0,92 mio. DKK | 0,35 mio. DKK |
| DANSK VARMEPUMPE INDUSTRI A/S | 1,39 mio. DKK | 1,74 mio. DKK |
| Spar Nord Bank | 0,14 mio. DKK | 0,21 mio. DKK |
| GAIA SOLAR A/S | 0,54 mio. DKK | 0,78 mio. DKK |
