Performance and PV benefits analysis of multi-source renewable energy systems for different types of buildings on university campus

Abstract

Due to the large campus area and high personnel density, universities experience significant building energy consumption. The comprehensive utilization of renewable energy can greatly alleviate energy consumption in higher education institutions. To explore the application prospects of renewable energy systems in universities, this study takes a university in Wuhan as a case example, investigating the performance and potential of various types of Photovoltaic-assisted Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (PV-HVAC) systems. First, the building load was calculated using DeST software. Subsequently, the potential for solar energy application on campus was assessed using a combination of QGIS, Labelme, and Python. Moreover, three types of PV-HVAC systems were designed for five categories of buildings based on their distinct characteristics, and TRNSYS software was utilized for performance simulation and analysis. The results indicate that the annual performance coefficients of the three systems are 3.8, 3.2, and 4.5, with corresponding annual energy self-sufficiency rates of 114 %, 72 %, and 32 %, respectively. Finally, the overall energy self-sufficiency rate of the PV-HVAC system across the campus is 65 %. This research provides valuable insights for achieving nearly zero-energy HVAC systems in university campuses.