Abstract
Technologies for energy-efficient cooling of buildings are in high demand due to the heavy CO2 footprint of traditional air conditioning methods. The ground source heat pump system (GSHP) installed at the Rosborg Gymnasium in Vejle (Denmark) uses foundation pile heat exchangers (energy piles). Although designed for passive cooling, the GSHP is used exclusively for heating. In a five-week test during the summer of 2018, excess building heat was rejected passively to the energy piles and the ground. Measured energy efficiency ratios are 24–36 and the thermal comfort in conditioned rooms is improved significantly relative to unconditioned reference rooms. A simple model relating the available cooling power to conditioned room and ground temperatures is developed and calibrated to measured test data. Building energy simulation based estimates of the total cooling demand of the building are then compared to corresponding model calculations of the available cooling capacity. The comparison shows that passive cooling is able to meet the cooling demand of Rosborg Gymnasium except for 7–17 h per year, given that room temperatures are constrained to < 26 °C. The case study clearly demonstrates the potential for increasing thermal comfort during summer with highly efficient passive cooling by rejecting excess building heat to the ground.
Highlights
Denmark has committed itself to be independent from fossil fuels by 2050 in order to mitigate climate changes due to CO2 -emissions [1]
To ensure the transition to a fossil-fuel free energy supply, Denmark has set a number of intermediate goals, one of which is to produce all heat with renewable energy (RE) sources by 2035 [2]
In Denmark, high indoor temperatures during summer is typically mitigated by modifying the construction and the exterior setting by various means such as e.g., adding landscape elements like trees or hedges, overhangs or vertical fins on the exterior walls, light shelves, low Energies 2019, 12, 2697; doi:10.3390/en12142697
Summary
Denmark has committed itself to be independent from fossil fuels by 2050 in order to mitigate climate changes due to CO2 -emissions [1]. There are no operational records on the use of passive cooling of the building To this end, this paper presents and analyses experimental data from a 40 day passive cooling test campaign at Rosborg Gymnasium where excess building heat was rejected to the ground. EnergyPlus building energy simulation based estimates of the total cooling demand of the building are compared to corresponding model calculations of the available passive cooling during the hot season in the twelfth year of operation. It is hypothesized that passive cooling with energy piles 1) modifies the thermal comfort at Rosborg Gymnasium as measured by the PMV-index and 2) is able to cover the majority of the total cooling demand of the building. The case study clearly demonstrates the potential for increasing thermal comfort during summer with highly efficient passive cooling by rejecting excess building heat to the ground
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