An updated review on integration of solar photovoltaic modules and heat pumps towards decarbonization of buildings

Abstract

Heating and cooling are responsible for considerable portion of final energy consumption in the world especially in the residential sector. In order to decrement the pollutants and energy consumption, it is essential to apply promising technologies with proper performance and reliability. Regarding the better performance of heat pumps, in term of energy consumption and environmental effects, compared with the conventional cooling and heating technologies, these systems have attracted attentions in recent years. These systems can become more environmentally friendly by integration with other renewable energy systems and clean technologies. PV module, as a clean technology for power generation can be integrated with heat pumps to enhance the overall performance in terms of Coefficient of Performance (COP), environment and economy. Regarding several advantageous of these systems and existence of different configurations and systems, i.g. conventional, solar-assisted and ground source heat pumps, and great progress on their modification by the scholars, it is requisite to provide an updated and complete review on these systems by considering various technologies and particular focus on the recent research works. In this study, research works on the heat pumps systems integrated with PV modules are reviewed and their findings are discussed. According to the findings of the reviewed researches, the systems performance is depending on various elements such as the operating condition, configuration of the system, characteristics of the units etc. Making use of PV cells and integrating them with heat pumps could lead to energy and cost saving. For instance, it has been observed that by using hybrid systems composed of optimal control, PV cells, heat pumps and wind energy, energy saving of more than 50 % is achievable. Aside from the technical and cost benefits of using the PV integrated heat pumps, CO2 emission can be reduced, by up to 73 % reported in a study, for both heating and cooling purposes which means that these systems are proper towards decarbonization in buildings.