Heat absorption cooling with renewable energies: a case study with photovoltaic solar energy and biogas in Cordoba, Colombia

Abstract

Research in energy generation using renewable sources has gained importance due to the adverse effects of fossil fuels on the environment and because the utilization of biomass to produce energy has great advantages due to its high potential and low cost. In this work, the operation of a refrigeration equipment by heat absorption is evaluated using photovoltaic solar energy and biogas as renewable energy sources An energy characterization of the implemented sources was carried out collecting solar radiation data in Monteria (Colombia) and the calorific value of biogas. Experimental tests were made by placing 1 liter of water inside of the system, subsequently the performance coefficient of the system was calculated. The results showed that the equipment operation was approximately 8 hours, the chemical composition of the biogas delivered was 58% methane and 42% carbon dioxide, reaching a calorific value of 23.05 MJ / kg. Finally, the Coefficient of Performance obtained were 0.58; 0.08; 0.27 and 0.07 for electrical energy, LPG, solar energy and biogas respectively. From the results, it was concluded that there is a significant energy potential on the implementation of solar energy and biogas for cold generation, thus fulfilling the main objective of this project by verifying that it is possible to implement renewable energies in absorption cooling systems.