PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Demand for air-conditioning devices is growing with increasing global temperatures. Space cooling is the fastest-growing energy use in buildings. Final energy use for space cooling in residential and commercial buildings more than tripled between 1990 and 2016 worldwide, exceeding 2 000 TWh. The International Energy Agency forecasts that, in the absence of measures to improve the cooling of living spaces, energy consumption for cooling buildings will exceed 6 000 TWh by 2050, which will constitute 16% of all electricity consumption, making it the dominant share. The growing demand for cooling is a key problem for power grids since it increases peak electricity loads and thus the chance of power shortages. It is therefore greatly advantageous to reduce buildings’ consumption of energy from the power grid in favour of energy produced on-site from renewable sources. Reduced electricity consumption can also be achieved by increasing the energy efficiency of the buildings, and in particular the efficiency of air conditioning systems. However, energy for heating and cooling remains heavily dependent on fossil fuels, with greenhouse gases also stemming from the fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases) applied in air-conditioning devices. Data from the Polish refrigeration equipment registry clearly show that fourth generation ecological factors (refrigerants with low global warming potential, GPW) constitute only a fraction of the total. Nearly 60% of the refrigerants currently used have high GWP of more than 2500.
OBJECTIVES
The COOLSPACES 4 LIFE project aims to demonstrate the use of renewable energy in the cooling systems of public buildings and the application of low GPW refrigerant mixtures. It will install a prototype comprises the following subsystems: a newly designed CFR-based cooling subsystem driven by PV panels; short-term cold energy storage subsystem using phase change materials; cooling and domestic hot water subsystems. The tests and the installation performance optimisation process will take place in different climate conditions: first in Poland at the WUST campus and then in Spain at the UAL site.
Specific objectives of the project are to:
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions through: (a) reducing the consumption of non-RES energy used for air conditioning systems, and (b) using refrigerants with a low global warming potential (GWP), instead of F-gases. This aim will be achieved by designing an innovative solar-powered cooling device (COOLSPACE device) that uses climate-friendly refrigerants (CFR) and thermal energy storage based on phase-change material (PCM);
- Determine the composition of the climate-friendly refrigerant, its flammability and safety classes, as well as to select the most suitable heat storage material to be used by the prototype solar-powered cooling device;
- Demonstrate the potential of the COOLSPACE device and raise awareness about the potential of the use of renewable energy sources in the cooling sector;
- Apply a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Costing (LCC) analysis as instruments for policy support with the aim of designing and implementing adequate air quality and climate change abatement strategies and practices.
The project supports the goals of the EU Regulation no 517/2014 on fluorinated greenhouse gases and Directive 2012/27/EU on energy efficiency.
RESULTS
Expected results:
- Reduction of CO2 emissions by 41.06 tonnes/year;
- Reduction of SOx emissions by 0.0365 tonnes/year;
- Reduction of NOx emissions by 0.0338 tonnes/year;
- Reduction of dust emissions and 0.002 tons/year;
- Reduction of primary energy consumption by at least 60% compared to a conventional building cooling system; and
- Increased use of an climate-friendly refrigerant.
