Monitoring and transient modelling of Solar assisted heat pump with hybrid Panels: limits and potentials applied to an existing plant

The Solar Assisted Heat Pumps represent one of the most interesting examples in the field of heating systems based on the interface of different generators. The present work provides a general overview about the topic of the solar assisted heat pumps, with specific attention to the current limits and potentials. Then, the pilot plant at Palacus is presented: a solar assisted heat pump is interfaced with hybrid panels and it represents the missing link between laboratory prototypes and full scale working plants. The most interesting part of the plant and its core is represented by the data acquisition system which allows an almost automatic control of the plant and a continuous collection of the over 50 measured working parameters of the facility. Indeed, this extended database will be used to validate a numerical transient model developed in TRNSYS environment. Thanks to this model, different optimisation analyses will be carried out, to increase the plant efficiency. In particular the following topics will be enquired: insulation of the connection pipes between the heat pump and the solar field and strategies to exploit the SAHP-PVT from both the thermal and photovoltaic point of view. In addition, the plant will be simulated at five different locations over Italy representing the main climatic zones, to carry out a preliminary simplified assessment tool to predict the SAHP performance according to the degree days of the installation site.