Ecodesign Strategies for Reducing Environmental Impact on Solar HVAC Systems

Abstract

. Abstract: Approximately 40% and 36% of total energy consumption and CO 2 emissions, respectively, in the EU are due to buildings. A large percentage of this energy consumption and its associated CO 2 emissions are due to conventional heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Solar desiccant cooling (SDEC) systems present a high energy saving potential to replace conventional HVAC systems. However, SDEC systems could generate a high environmental impact during their manufacturing stage, which may even exceed the benefit in the use phase. Therefore, the aim of this work is to focus on studying feasible ecodesign strategies for a SDEC system composed mainly of an indirect evaporative cooler, a desiccant wheel and a solar thermal system. More specifically, the strategies considered were: (a) selection of environmentally friendly materials, such as biocomposites based on natural fibers; (b) weight optimization; and (c) reuse of components at the end of the life phase. The results showed that the proposed strategies to the SDEC system could significantly improve the environmental impact throughout its entire life cycle. Combining all the proposed improvements, the environmental impact was reduced between 45% and 60% for all the indicators.