Practical Successful Results Regarding Electrical Overall Efficiency for a Solar Water Heating and Cooling System in South of France

Within the framework of the French program called Emergence aimed at financing high quality solar heating and cooling demonstration projects, a first solar cooling installation was designed in 2011, then installed and monitored since the beginning of 2013. This installation is based on an innovative and energy efficient concept to optimize solar energy valorization all year long: hybrid solar Domestic Hot Water and cooling strategy. This installation has been fully monitored from spring 2013 until spring 2014 with cooling / DHW production and permits to show the high interest of such strategy to combine long term quality, simplicity of use and economical efficiency. In summer 2013, the hybrid strategy led to a very promising electrical efficiency (or Electrical COP) of more than 12 (ratio between useful solar energy (cooling and DHW) and electrical parasitic consumption).