Both subprojects are monitored following a common monitoring scheme within the Polysmart project (with common measuring and estimating procedures) for later comparison of results and evaluation of the best combination between components, fuels chosen and hydraulic design.

Two different type data acquisition loggers will be used in each subproject to register the values registered by the several sensors.

The main performance figures to be evaluated in order to assess the energy balance are: thermal energy consumed by the CHP, electric energy consumed by each part of the CHCP system, net electric energy production of CHP, Cold and Heat distributed to each end use, running time and number of starts of each part. CO2 as well as NOx emissions, of the CHP will also be evaluated.

2. Conclusions

The importance of the work done in the framework of this project relies on the possibility of exploiting the knowledge and experience of the most important agents on the markets that are relevant to the future dissemination of the polygeneration systems, through the erection, operation and evaluation of a set of small demonstration energy systems in different European countries, with different combinations of the main equipment. This permits to test under real conditions new technologies and products that are (some of them) close to the market, and to compare them, improving the system design as well as system control and operation experience.

The final performance figures that will be achieved will be of crucial importance to demonstrate the premises behind this type of energy system conception. The software tools that will be also developed, combining a simulation of the different technologies involved, will improve the knowledge and economic studies needed for implementation in large scale of polygeneration systems.

The successful demonstration of these trigeneration projects will be an opportunity to show a possible direction for implementation of energy systems in buildings intending to attain the category of a net zero balancing energy building. The legislation and political interest already existing in Portugal, push towards that objective and we hope that main agents in the market will find in the results of these subprojects, the reasons and arguments in favour of it.

References

[1] “POLYSMART — Polygeneration with advanced small and medium scale thermally driven air­conditioning and refrigeration technology”. Integrated Project, FP6-2004-TREN-3. Contract No. 019988.

[2] Miguel Morgado, “Projecto Regional de Produqao Distribuida no Baixo Alentejo”. Energia Solar, Revista de Energias Renovaveis & Ambiente da SPES, No. 53, 2003.

[3] Estatiscas da Consttuqao e Habitaqao 2007, Statistics Portugal, www. ine. pt

[4] Estatiscas do Turismo 2007, Statistics Portugal, www. ine. pt

[5] SENERTEC Dachs HKA F 5.5 technical data, www. senertec. de

[6] Costa, A., Collares-Pereira, M., Adao, P., “Pre-commercial development of a cost effective solar-driven absorption chiller”, EUROSUN 2008 , Lisboa, Portugal

[7] TRNSYS — a Transient System Simulation program. Solar Energy Laboratory, University of Wisconsin-Madison.