Analysis and evaluation of a solar-based system for the provision of electricity, heating and cooling in an urban building

As a result of the reality of climate change and its already noticeable effects on our lifestyles, the energy generating sector is transitioning into less impactful and carbonemitting sources. On that transition, renewable energy sources play a key role and are, in fact, experimenting a huge growth, especially the solar based, given their accessibility and adaptability to urban environments. On that note, this project starts by examining the current technologies that use solar energy to produce electricity and heat power, emphasising on those that can be installed in an urban environment, delving into their characteristics and components. For the second part of the project, the case of a 20-inhabitants residential building in Brussels, Belgium, has been analysed to determine if a solar-based installation could be able to supply its energetic demand, including electricity, hot water and space heating and cooling. The location of the building was of special interest, given that being in northern Europe, in a region were on average it rains 200 days per year, it was not clear if such an installation would be viable in terms of generation and costs. For the determination of the installation, a market-search has been carried out in order to find manufacturers of the solar-based devices, and their characteristics have been compared to the building’s demand, to find an optimal solution given the limitations of space and climate conditions. An additional approximation of all the installation costs throughout the life of the panels was also taken into account when deciding the final configuration. Furthermore, the study as a whole has had a strong focus on the environmental impact of the suggested installation, from the search for proximity manufacturers to the analysis of the carbon emissions of the different technologies reviewed