Simulation of a Photovoltaic-Thermal (PV-T) Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) System for Building Thermal Demands
Abstract
The coupling of photovoltaic-thermal (PV-T) collectors with heat pumps improves both the electrical and thermal performance of the heat pumps. The main objective of this study is to investigate the potential efficiency improvements resulting from the combined operation of an air PV-T system with an air source heat pump (ASHP). We simulate the said combined operation of the system for meeting building thermal demands (space heating and domestic hot water production), using models developed for this study. Different configurations of the PV-T collector system (from 2 to 12 panels in series) are simulated, and the configuration with 4 panels in series is identified as the most suitable one in this context. This configuration of the PV-T ASHP system has better electrical performance as compared to the baseline case of only a photovoltaic (PV) ASHP system with the same configuration, with a 6.61% increase in the seasonal COP of the heat pump. The presented simulation methodology builds the base for further investigation of other types of PV-T collector systems and heat pumps.