Sustainable Heating, Cooling and Ventilation of a Plus-Energy House via Photovoltaic/Thermal Panels

Present work addresses the HVAC and energy concerns of the Technical University of Denmark's house, Fold, for the competition Solar Decathlon Europe 2012. Various innovative solutions are investigated; photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) panels, utilization of ground as a heat source/sink and phase change materials (PCM).

The development of a building integrated photovoltaic/thermal (BIPV/T) system and its performance evaluation compared to a PV installation built of the same photovoltaic cells are also presented. Annual results show that having the combined PV/T system is more beneficial compared to having two separate systems.

PV/T panels enable the house to perform as a plus-energy house. PV/T also yields to a solar fraction of 63% and 31% for Madrid and Copenhagen, respectively. The ground heat exchanger acts as the heat sink/source of the house. Free cooling enables the same cooling effect to be delivered with 8% of the energy consumption of a representative chiller.

The major part of sensible heating and cooling is done via embedded pipes in the floor and ceiling. Ventilation is used to control the humidity and to remove sensory and chemical pollution. A combination of embedded pipes and PCM was simulated. Results show energy savings up to 30%, for cooling season in Madrid.