Heating and Cooling of a Building by Absorption Heat Pumps driven by Evacuated Tube Solar Collectors (ETCs)

Solar assisted heat pumps till now have used the solar collectors as a cold source. Solar collectors provided when possible direct heating, otherwise they offered temperature levels higher than outside air for the heat pump evaporator. At the same time, solar thermal cooling exploits solar collectors and the absorption chiller only in hot months. The paper considers the possibility of employing ETCs to drive an absorption heat pump that is in summertime the absorption chiller. The cold source is the ground which is recharged by the solar collectors in mid seasons and by the cooling of absorber-condenser in summer. The study analyses the system behavior in yearly operation evaluating also the role of suitable storage capabilities in a temperate climate.