Performance of Solar-Powered Air Conditioning System under AlMadinah AlMunawwarah Climatic Conditions

Abstract

Nowadays, solar-powered air conditioning has witnessed an increased progress because air conditioning system is almost a must in every building in Saudi Arabia where the outside temperature in summer is higher than 42˚C. AlMadinah AlMunawwarah is one of the important holy places in the world, and therefore, this paper investigates the design and performance of solar-powered air conditioning system integrated with photovoltaic (PV) system which consists of PV panels, solar charger, inverter and batteries. This air conditioning system can be used in non-electrified areas near AlMadinah where the cost of electricity for this area is very high. The first step in this project is the cooling load calculations for the selected space that will be cooled and it was found about 1 ton refrigeration (3.52 kW). Based on this cooling load, the photovoltaic (PV) system has been estimated and built with the necessary connections. Data logging system has been used to measure the temperatures at the main components in the cycle like compressor inlet and outlet as well as evaporator and condenser. The input powers for the system as well as the coefficient of performance (COP) for the system under AlMadinah climatic conditions were measured along the day. The coefficient of performance varies from 2.16 to 4.22 for the system and these results compared with the conventional system performance with a good agreement.