Optimization of Solar District Heating & Cooling Systems

The present work proposes a comparison between three solar-powered district heating and cooling systems, namely: 1) centralized district heating & cooling (DHC) system; 2) 5th-generation district heating & cooling (5GDHC) system and 3) individual AC plants (HHC, Home Heating and Cooling), in different climate conditions. Thermal loads are evaluated by transient simulations of a residential compound featuring 56 detached houses for three different Italian climates: (1) a Mediterranean region on the seaside (Palermo, I), (2) a temperate climate in Central Italy (Roma, I), and (3) a cold-temperate climate in Northern Italy (Bolzano, I). The DHC system shows the highest efficiency in terms of energy-savings, whatever the location. The 5GDHC system reaches a compromise between installation and operational costs.