Performance analysis of a hybrid photovoltaic/thermal and liquid desiccant system

Abstract Air dehumidification is widely applied in the civilian and industrial use, however, conventional vapor compression air-conditioning system consumes substantial power. Using renewable energy in the air handling process has potential to further reduce the power consumption, meanwhile ease the carbon emission. This paper proposes a novel liquid desiccant system integrated with a photovoltaic/thermal collector for deep dehumidification. The generated electric power drives a vapor compression chiller for cooling the desiccant solution for a two-stage dehumidification, and the releasing heat from the collector is used for the desiccant regeneration. Simulation studies indicated the proposed system has a superior power saving ability of 55.65% comparing with the conventional one, besides the equivalent power generation efficiency reaches 8.7%.