Performance assessments of ground source heat pump assisted by various solar panels to achieve zero energy buildings in cold climate conditions

Abstract

This paper aims to perform a comprehensive performance analysis of a solar-assisted ground source heat pump (SAGSHP) system connected to various types of solar panels to enhance overall energy efficiency. While previous studies have examined integrating solar panels with heat pumps, comprehensive solutions like those presented here and performance evaluations in the zero energy building context have been lacking. This study developed various scenarios using three types of solar panels, photovoltaic (PV), photovoltaic-thermal (PVT), and solar thermal collectors (ST), to explore their simultaneous use. TRNSYS software was employed to analyze the complex system, comparing it to a conventional natural gas boiler system as a baseline. The findings revealed that the on-site energy use intensity (EUI) decreased from 78.6 kWh/m2 to 53.3 kWh/m2, a reduction of approximately 33 %, due to the SAGSHP's implementation. The combination of PVT and PV panels emerged as the most suitable option for the SAGSHP, aligning with the net zero energy concept. The SAGSHP system achieved a low EUI of 10.4 kWh/m2 in terms of primary energy. Additionally, the solar fraction, indicating the proportion of solar energy used, reached approximately 90 %. Thus, this study underscores the significance of evaluating various solar panel configurations during the preliminary design phase of SAGSHP systems to optimize energy performance and progress toward zero energy buildings.