Hybrid Concentrating Solar Thermal Systems

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The Hybrid Concentrating Solar Thermal Systems project demonstrated the successful design, integration and operation of a high temperature solar heat (150 to 200 degrees Celsius) building space heating and cooling system, and provided a pathway for realising a world first high efficiency solar thermal desiccant air conditioning system.Key resultsIntegration cost of concentrating collectors for rooftop installationsInstallation of trough collectors and the desiccant air conditioner prototype on the roof required adding super structures to the roof to distribute the load onto the existing concrete columns in the roof. Structural consultants were brought in to resolve this problem. This resulted in additional project cost and time.Remote site installation and monitoringHeating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) tradespeople do not have expertise in emerging technologies such as desiccant systems and indirect evaporative coolers. This meant that CSIRO engineers needed to visit the site for initial troubleshooting more often than originally planned. This resulted in additional project cost and time.Hybrid concentrating solar thermal systems for large scale applicationsCSIRO’s desiccant air conditioning system prototype is between TRL3 and TRL4 and has not been built before. As a result, when HVAC contractors were asked to quote for building a prototype, they built significant costs for ‘unknown’ risks in their quotes. It is recommended that projects include a substantial contingency margin when budgeting for building prototypes that are at early TRL levels (less than TRL5) and requiring a client site installation. This margin should be facilitated by the project financier.

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