Simulation and analysis of three, solar assisted, ground source heat pump systems

Abstract

The use of Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) systems is promising in reducing the energy consumption in the households and services sector, which accounts for almost 40% of the total energy consumption in Europe and in Northern America. There is an increasing interest in combining such earth energy systems with solar energy. In this study, three Solar Assisted Ground Source Heat Pump configurations comprised of Flat-Plate (FPC), Photovoltaic (PV) and hybrid Photovoltaic/Thermal (PV/T) collectors are investigated aiming at upgrading an existing GSHP system installed in a university building complex at in Volos, Greece. These systems were simulated with the dynamic system simulation tool TRNSYS and were assessed on energy performance and on an economic and an environmental basis. Results of the analysis showed that the PV system is the best option due to its substantial energy savings and to the lower cost compared to the PV/T system.