Greenhouse gas emissions associated with two air-conditioning systems for a university building

Abstract

Recognizing the rise of global life standards, the associated energy consumption, and the widespread use of air-conditioning systems, there is a clear necessity to evaluate the environmental loads associated with energy supply systems. This study applied the Life Cycle Assessment methodology to quantify the greenhouse gas emissions associated with a solar absorption cooling system to be installed in a university building. The current, conventional air-conditioning system is also evaluated, and the emissions are compared with the solar absorption system. The solar absorption system was designed and is constituted of absorption chillers, solar collectors and storage tanks. The conventional system employs different types of mechanical chillers (wall-mounted, floor-mounted, cassette). The total emissions associated with the air-conditioning systems are constituted by a fixed share, related to equipment, and a variable share, related to electricity consumption. The overall emissions associated with the solar absorption and conventional air-conditioning systems are 144,452 and 346,569 kg CO2-eq/year, respectively. The results presented herein demonstrate the potential of the solar absorption system to mitigate climate changes.