Comparison of the solar PV cooling system and other cooling systems

Abstract

The energy consumption and economic performance of the solar PV cooling system, the solar absorption cooling system and the conventional vapor compression cooling system located in Hefei, Chengdu and Haikou have been analyzed. The annual cost method is used to compare the economic performance of the three kinds of cooling systems. For the PV cooling system, 'full power to grid' PV grid-connected mode and 'self-generated, left power to grid' PV grid-connected mode are discussed. And for the solar absorption cooling system, the single-effect absorption chiller and the double-effect absorption chiller are both discussed. Meanwhile, the economic performances of three kinds of cooling systems are also analyzed when PV subsidies are ignored and energy prices are variable. The results indicate that the economic performance of the PV cooling system is better than that of the solar absorption cooling system and the conventional vapor compression cooling system. Furthermore, even when PV subsidies are ignored or the energy prices change a lot, the economic performance of PV cooling is better than that of solar absorption cooling and conventional vapor compression cooling.