Solar Cooling Technologies and Off-Grid Building Design in Hot Climatic Conditions

Abstract

Global warming is the main problem of the century. The scientific community is addressing many efforts to face the environmental problems and solar cooling systems are one of the best candidates. The thesis proposes a solution developed through the improvement of the three main aspects of the chain: building energy efficiency, cooling production and distribution. The Middle East region represents the challenge locations for developing new technologies for air conditioning. This work proposes the improvement of sustainable buildings and promote an innovative design to reduce energy consumption. The development of district cooling systems allows the optimization of the cooling production and reduces the waste associated with single users, enabling the installation of higher efficiency technologies. Solar cooling systems, the main focus of this research, are the best available solution to significantly reduce power consumption. Moreover, even under the economic aspect can certainly replace the traditional systems that have so far been adopted. Particular attention is devoted to the heat rejection systems, the only component that can improve the cooling plants performance in hot climates. The sun, cause of the cooling load, must effectively turn into the solution of the problem.