A preliminary optimisation and techno-economic analysis of solar assisted building heating system using transpired air solar collector and heat pump in Sweden

Transpired solar air collector can be used in combination with heat Pump to meet space heating and hot water demand in domestic dwellings. Moreover, the solar pre-heated fresh air can be used as a heat source for the heat pump evaporator, improving its coefficient of performance. Many research articles have been published on this subject, however the optimal analyses about techno-economic feasibility of a heat pump with the transpired solar collector are still lacking. Therefore, an optimisation tool is developed, based on non-linear programming using coherent operation strategy and variation in collector flow rate for a solar heat pump system. The effect of optimisation along with techno-economic feasibility for a demo case in Sweden is then preliminary studied based on the defined boundary conditions. The results are used to select the most cost-effective collector area installation, along with an efficient operation strategy for a given system configuration. Results indicate that the hourly flow rate optimisation can determine 35 % increased savings, compared to a non-optimised fixed flow rate case. Moreover, the simulated system has a net present value of € 5000 when calculated at 2 % discount rate for 30 years. The tool has potential use for pre-feasibility check at an earlier stage of the dedicated design and operation, without the need for extensive system simulations