Solar air conditioning field potential

Singh and Das [23 – 26] investigated the potential application and operational strategies of solar energy in the field of building air-conditioning systems, the findings revealed that the incorporation of solar energy can substantially decrease the energy consumption of air-conditioning systems while enhancing their economic viability.

To investigate the potential for zero energy consumption, the study used a one-minute timestep for simulating the dynamic energy consumption of air conditioners and the energy generation of photovoltaic systems. The capacity of the PV system is determined by maximizing the hours of optimal energy matching to the total running time of the air conditioner.

The higher the degree of dynamic energy matching between air conditioners and PVACs (Photovoltaic Air Conditioning Systems), the greater the zero-energy potential of PVACs. To investigate this potential, a one-minute timestep was used for simulating the dynamic energy consumption of air conditioners and the energy generation of PV systems.

There are two different types of processes namely electric process and thermal process . The electric process will power the vapour compression cycle air-conditioning system. However, due to the large area required for the solar panel to generate electricity, it is not suitable for air-conditioning systems.

This paper has discussed different types of solar-driven air-conditioning systems that can serve as an alternative to reduce the energy consumption of conventional electrical driven air-conditioning systems. There are commercially available systems and systems that are limited to lab scale.

Photovoltaic directly driven air conditioner (PVAC) systems are beneficial for the realization of zero energy buildings.