Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda for Renewable ... - EGEC

4Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda for Renewable Heating & CoolingRHC applications and priorities for non-residential buildings4.1 Description of demand characteristicsThis sector includes a wide range of public and private non-residential buildings, such asoffices, hotels, restaurants, shops, schools, universities, hospitals, data centres, swimmingpools and various other services.A recent study of the European Commission 51 estimated the annual demand in the EU ofuseful energy for space heating and for hot water at around 56 Mtoe (2,284 PJ) and 17 Mtoe(625 PJ), respectively. The estimated useful cooling demand is around 32 Mtoe (1,350 PJ)which represents only 30% of the total demand. According to the PRIMES model (EC DG ENER,2010) the heating / cooling mix in the non-residential buildings will significantly change in thenext years, ending up to 52% heating and 48% cooling.In the services sector, the heating and cooling demand is strongly influenced by the type ofbuilding and its use. The characteristics differ from that of the residential sector in the followingaspects:• Loads are typically higher than in the residential sector, starting with some 10 kW thfor small businesses or offices, to 1 MW th or more for larger projects• Space cooling / air conditioning is almost a standard in this type of application, creatinga definite requirement for providing cooling from renewable sources• Forced ventilation is the norm in this type of buildings, resulting in a need for heating andcooling of ventilation• There is in most cases a high internal heat generation, mainly in shops (lighting, refrigeration,etc. 52 ), but also in other buildings (large number of persons, ICT-facilities, etc.)• Heating and cooling loads can vary widely in a short timeframe (conference rooms / theatre/ cinema, shopping or office hours, etc.)• In many cases, DHW heating is not required (or it is negligible); notable exceptions arehotels, hospitals, sports/recreational facilities, where a large and sudden demand forDHW can occur (e.g. showering in the morning or after sports events)In consequence, the RHC technologies to cover this demand must be rather flexiblein size, adaptive to quick changes, and able to supply substantial amounts of coolingto the buildings. The system concepts are more complex, with a combination of several heatandcold sources and distribution devices. Digital energy control systems ofbuildings are required for the optimum operation of these installations, both for comfort andfor efficiency reasons. On the other hand, professional operation and maintenance in thistype of application can be more easily guaranteed here than in the residential sector.4.2 Solar thermal technologiesIn general, the service sector requires larger solar thermal systems, which alloweconomies of scale but also imply customised planning. The complexity in the designand installation of such systems is higher. Moreover, safety requirements are more demanding,e.g. by dealing with steam in the system. The efficiency of the solar thermal systemdepends a lot on the demand curve and the temperature requirements, e.g. solar thermalsystems are well suited to supply the high volume of hot water consumed during the wholeyear by hotels, hospitals and homes for elderly people.Most of the demand for cooling in the service sector is currently supplied by electrical systems.Thermally driven cooling technologies constitute promising alternatives andare set to play a key role in the efficient conversion of energy in the field of building airconditioningand refrigeration, especially in southern Europe. Today, these technologies areused largely in combination with waste heat, district heat or co-generation units. Thermallydriven cooling cycles can be run with solar thermal energy too, thus producing solar airconditioningand refrigeration. In climates where cooling is not required all year round, thesesystems can be used for cooling in the summer season and for space heating in the heatingseason.51Pardo, N. et al (2012)52Some shopping malls donot have any heating demandunder normal operatingconditions, even in moderateclimate.42