Baseline Evaluation of Potential to Use Solar Radiation in Air Conditioning Applications

The study presents a global evaluation of the potential to use solar radiation in the air conditioning with application to an office building located in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The study was realized for a one year period, based on multiannual average values for solar radiation and ambient temperature. It were compared the performances of two types of solar cooling systems, one based on absorption chiller and one of photovoltaic type. It is presented the methodology for calculation of the efficiency of the solar thermal field and of the equivalent photovoltaic field, placed on the terrace roof of the building, considered completely filled with evacuated tubes solar collectors tilted at 45° and facing south was taken into account or with photovoltaic field of collectors oriented in the same position. The solar collectors were arranged to completely avoid each other shading, for any solar altitude angles higher than 30°. The one year variation of several calculated parameters is presented together with the corresponding variation in the period of (10-20) June. The one year thermal solar cooling fraction was found to be of 24.5% and the one year photovoltaic cooling fraction was found to be of 36.6%.