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Solar cooling
technologies have become essential, especially in tropical
countries due to the amount of solar radiation and the growing
need for cooling. Gigantically, this study aims to depict a
hybrid solar cooling system driven by a photovoltaic/thermal
unit. The PV cells are used to power a Vapor Compression
Refrigeration (VCR) cycle; whereas the waste thermal energy that
has been utilized from cooling the PV modules is applicably used
to run the Ejector Cooling Refrigeration (ECR) cycle. A
mathematical model of the system has been generated to simulate
this hybrid solar cooling system. The electrical energy derived
from the PV cells was used to run the (VCR) cycle, resulting in
a cooling capacity that ranges from a minimum of 3.215 kW to a
maximum of 3.99 kW. Meanwhile, the heat utilized by cooling the
PV modules was used to run the ECR resulting in an additional
cooling capacity arranges from a minimum of 1.85 to a maximum of
2.46 kW. Consequently, as a result, the total cooling capacity
of the hybrid system arranges from 5.14 kW to 6.4 kW with a COP
of 5.8 and a maximum of 6.9 have been occupied during the period
of study. Compared to the conventional VCR cycle powered by a
solar non-cooled PV unit, the hybrid system has produced 24.8%
increasingly more cooling capacity while using the same (25 m2 )
area of panels in July privately when running the system for 18
hours. Based on the economic viability of the system, crucially
the payback period of the added cost from combining the VCR with
the ECR systems will be returned within 7.3 years. |