Comparison of Space Cooling Systems from Energy and Economic Perspectives for a Future City District in Sweden

Sana Sayadi (), Jan Akander, Abolfazl Hayati, Mattias Gustafsson and Mathias Cehlin
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Sana Sayadi: Department of Building Engineering, Energy Systems and Sustainability Science, Faculty of Engineering and Sustainable Development, University of Gävle, 801 76 Gävle, Sweden
Jan Akander: Department of Building Engineering, Energy Systems and Sustainability Science, Faculty of Engineering and Sustainable Development, University of Gävle, 801 76 Gävle, Sweden
Abolfazl Hayati: Department of Building Engineering, Energy Systems and Sustainability Science, Faculty of Engineering and Sustainable Development, University of Gävle, 801 76 Gävle, Sweden
Mattias Gustafsson: Department of Building Engineering, Energy Systems and Sustainability Science, Faculty of Engineering and Sustainable Development, University of Gävle, 801 76 Gävle, Sweden
Mathias Cehlin: Department of Building Engineering, Energy Systems and Sustainability Science, Faculty of Engineering and Sustainable Development, University of Gävle, 801 76 Gävle, Sweden

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 9, 1-22

Abstract: In this study, the performance of different cooling technologies from energy and economic perspectives were evaluated for six different prototype residential Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (NZEBs) within a planned future city district in central Sweden. This was carried out by assessing the primary energy number and life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) for each building model and cooling technology. Projected future climate file representing the 2050s (mid-term future) was employed. Three cooling technologies (district cooling, compression chillers coupled/uncoupled with photovoltaic (PV) systems, and absorption chillers) were evaluated. Based on the results obtained from primary energy number and LCCA, compression chillers with PV systems appeared to be favorable as this technology depicted the least value for primary energy use and LCCA. Compared to compression chillers alone, the primary energy number and the life cycle cost were reduced by 13%, on average. Moreover, the district cooling system was found to be an agreeable choice for buildings with large floor areas from an economic perspective. Apart from these, absorption chillers, utilizing environmentally sustainable district heating, displayed the highest primary energy use and life cycle cost which made them the least favorable choice. However, the reoccurring operational cost from the LCCA was about 60 and 50% of the total life cycle cost for district cooling and absorption chillers, respectively, while this value corresponds to 80% for the compression chillers, showing the high net present value for this technology but sensitive to future electricity prices.

Keywords: nearly zero energy building (NZEB); primary energy number; district cooling; absorption and compression chillers; life cycle cost analysis; climate-resilient buildings (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: 2023
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