A Multicriteria Methodology to Select the Best Installation of Solar Thermal Power in a Family House

Jaroslav Košičan, Miguel Ángel Pardo and Silvia Vilčeková
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Jaroslav Košičan: Institute of Architectural Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Technical University of Košice, Vysokoškolská 4, 04200 Košice, Slovakia
Miguel Ángel Pardo: Department of Civil Engineering, University of Alicante, 03080 Alicante, Spain
Silvia Vilčeková: Institute of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Technical University of Košice, Vysokoškolská 4, 04200 Košice, Slovakia

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 5, 1-17

Abstract: Solar thermal power is nowadays one of the trendiest topics in the construction industry, and it represents a valuable energy source of heating that reduces energy consumption. As solar panels produce heating during the day and consumers demand calefaction during the whole day, we use standby tanks (for domestic hot water) and buffer tanks (for heating) for storage. The latest developments improved the efficiency and useful life while reducing the volume of tanks. So, the presented research work deals with analyzing the solar thermal power in a family house. This work presents a method to create a decision support system to compare solar energy systems in houses from economical, technical, availability, and environmental concerns. The weights of the criteria selected considering the analytical hierarchy process are computed. Parameters required for energy production calculations (location, temperature, etc.) and energy consumption (inhabitants, outdoor temperature, etc.) are summarized. It can be stated that a universal best solar thermal scheme does not exist, as energy consumption depends on the other features and limits as well as energy production, geographical latitude of the location, and so forth. According to results, Case 3 (a gas boiler and a combination tank) is the best alternative for reducing the energy required, CO 2 emitted, the best energy efficiency of the installation, and the lowest transmission losses. In other scenarios when the economic criteria are not so relevant, this should be the best case in the prioritization scheme.

Keywords: solar panels; energy consumption; cost analysis; environmental analysis; domestic hot water (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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