PhD Thesis - Energy Systems Research Unit - University of Strathclyde

circuits associated with the absorption chiller, specifically the chilled water,cooling water and hot water circuits can therefore be calibrated and adapted withease for different chillers.iv. Developing complex plant networks (representative of different microtrigenerationplant configurations) using ESP-r. Each individual plant networkwas used extensively in the research to better understand how different plantconfigurations affect micro-trigeneration performance.The second outcome category relates to the results on the performance characteristicsobtained from the results of the different simulations performed. Chapter 5 goes intogreat detail in describing the individual results obtained; the following list thereforedescribes only the main key findings:i. Compared to separate generation, micro-trigeneration has the potential ofdelivering advantageous energy and emission savings. This is especially true incountries or regions whose separate generation is neither very efficient nor clean.In the proposed scenarios the fossil fuel based micro-trigeneration systemproduced clear energy and emission savings with respect to procuring energycommodities by separate generation. Decarbonisation of the electricity grid willlead to the micro-trigeneration losing its energetic and environmental advantage.ii.Improving the building fabric as expected reduces both the heating and coolingdemand, although to a varying degree and depending on floor location. In termsof micro-trigeneration system performance, decreasing the useful thermaldemand, equates to a lower operating load factor of the micro-trigenerationsystem which leads to a deterioration of the system’s energetic, environmentaland economic performance.iii.Electrical efficiency improvements in household appliances proved to beeffective in reducing the electrical energy consumption but may not necessarilyeffective in reducing peak demands in individual or small aggregation of242