Technical and Economic Performance of Best Practice SHC Plants – A Compilation of IEA SHC Task 53 Results
Abstract
Assessing the performance of solar heating and cooling (SHC) systems in a common comparable format is complicated by the numerous alternative energy sources and design possibilities. A generalized technical and economic assessment methodology was developed and tested in the course of IEA SHC Task 53 and is implemented into an excel tool called T53E4 Tool. Finally, IEA SHC Task 53 is ending and twenty-eight best practice plants are analyzed and compared in a comprehensive format. The systems represent a wide mixture of technologies, applications and locations. All plants are analyzed and assessed regarding their technical and economic performance and a sensitivity analysis to identify the importance of the main boundary conditions is performed. The results are showing interesting trends, (i) under certain conditions SHC can be cost competitive and show levelized costs of energy below those of pre-defined reference systems, (ii) from technical and environmental point of view, most of the plants can reach non-renewable primary energy savings greater 50% and up to 95%, depending on their solar fraction (thermal or electrical).