Abstract
A solar-driven 10-ton LiBr/H2O single-effect absorption cooling system has been designed and installed at the School of Renewable
Energy Technology (SERT), Phitsanulok, Thailand. Construction took place in 2005, after which this system became fully operational
and has been supplying cooling for our main testing building’s air-conditioning. Data on the system’s operation were collected during
2006 and analyzed to find the extent to which solar energy replaced conventional energy sources. Here, we present these data and show
that the 72m2 evacuated tube solar collector delivered a yearly average solar fraction of 81%, while the remaining 19% of thermal energy
required by the chiller was supplied by a LPG-fired backup heating unit. We also show that the economics of this cooling system are
dominated by the initial cost of the solar collector array and the absorption chiller, which are significantly higher than that of a similarsize
conventional VCC system.
r 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Solar absorption cooling; Lithium bromide solution; Solar fraction; Experimental research