Technical and Economic Analysis of Solar Cooling Systems in a Hot and Humid Climate

The aim of this paper is to promote efficient and cost effective implementation of advanced solar cooling systems and techniques for the hot and humid climates cities in the United States. After an introduction of basic principles, the development history and recent progress in solar cooling technologies are reported. Nevertheless, the economics of solar energy systems are particularly complex with much inevitable uncertainty due to several factors. In this paper, a simplified comprehensive economic optimization model is developed to determine whether a particular solar system is economically advantageous for a particular project. This model explains and illustrates with simple, but realistic examples the use of life-cycle cost analysis and benefit-cost analysis to evaluate and compare the economic efficiency of the solar cooling system. Consequently, under appropriate conditions, solar or solar-assisted air conditioning systems may be reasonable alternatives to conventional air-conditioning systems in a hot and humid climate.Florida Solar Energy Center, University of Central Florid