Life-cycle evaluation of different types of cooling systems in buildings

Cooling system represents a growing market in buildings worldwide, with a particularly significant growth rate observed in commercial buildings. Solar driven cooling system can be a promising alternative to traditional electrical cooling system. It can be used in combination with solar thermal collectors or photovoltaic collectors to release the duty caused by electrical cooling system. In this study, the performance of three different solar cooling systems is examined, namely: 1) a solar electrical, 2) a solar thermal and 3) a traditional electrical cooling system. The first system employs photovoltaic module to drive a conventional electrical chiller. The second system uses solar thermal collectors to drive a heat driven adsorption chiller and the third one utilizes the grid power to feed the electrical chiller. Assessment of life-cycle costs of these three systems are conducted to verify the best option for buildings. A case study in Hong Kong is conducted to assess the three cooling systems.