Fostering solar hybrid cooling systems in MENA region: A techno-economic and emission reduction assessment

Solar driven cooling system is a promising and sustainable substitute for conventional cooling systems to soften the impact of energy deficit and environmental degradation. In this study, a solar hybrid cooling system for an institutional building is investigated, which combines solar photovoltaic (PV) technology with traditional vapor compression systems and/or absorption cooling systems. The performance of the proposed solar hybrid cooling system is simulated and compared at four (04) locations in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region: Riyadh (Saudia Arabia), Dubai (United Arab Emirates), Doha (Qatar), and Jaww (Bahrain), with different cooling system configurations from technical, economic, and environmental standpoints. The simulation findings show that the solar driven absorption chiller reduces the maximum CO2 emissions by 42.7% in Riyadh, while the solar driven compressor system gives a maximum Greenhouse gas emissions reduction (99.1%) for the location of Dubai. To determine the most practical design in terms of economics, metrics such as net present value, payback, and benefit-cost ratio (BCR) and several cooling scenarios are also rigorously studied. According to model findings, the solar absorption cooling system presented the most feasible scenario with the shortest payback of 5.8 years, the highest internal rate of return (IRR) of 38.8%, and BCR of 5.4% for the location of Dubai, and the same trend holds for all other locations. Conversely, the solar-powered vapor compression system was the least suitable option for Riyadh city, with the longest payback period of 21.9 years, the lowest IRR of 2.4, and a BCR of -0.06. In addition, optimization results show that ground mounted PV systems outperform building integrated PV (BIPV) systems owing to their higher capacity factor: 21% in case of PV and 12.8% in case of BIPV systems. (c) 2024 Author(s). All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).