Performance analysis of a rooftop wind solar hybrid heat pump system for buildings

• Wind and solar energies are coupled with heat pumps for buildings.
• The system generates hot water, heating, cooling as well as electricity.
• Wind power provides 7.6% of the yearly heat pump power demand.
• The system yearly reduces 31.3% carbon emission.

Utilization of wind and solar energies coupled with heat pumps is a promising technology for energy conservation and emission reduction. This paper describes a rooftop wind solar hybrid heat pump system for building hot water, heating and cooling loads and presents energy and exergy analyses as well as an environmental benefit assessment. The system consists of a shrouded wind-lens turbine subsystem, a flat-plate solar thermal subsystem and a water/air source heat pump subsystem, where the wind and solar subsystems are compactly installed on the rooftop. The solar collector heats water for supplying domestic hot water and increasing the heat pump evaporation temperature for room heating. Heat pumps are used for room heating and cooling and auxiliary heating domestic hot water. Wind power contributes to satisfying the heat pump power demand. Energy and exergy analyses show that the solar thermal subsystem is exergetically inefficient and thus a better design of the solar collector can improve the system exergy efficiency. Wind power can provide 7.6% of the yearly heat pump power demand to satisfy the thermal loads of a 198 m2 residential building in Beijing. The system can yearly reduce 31.3% carbon dioxide emission compared with conventional energy systems.