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The Heat and Mass Transfer Technology Center (CTTC) at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC) participated in the Economic COgeneration by Efficiently COncentrated SUNlight (ECOSUN) project to develop a low-cost, concentrated thermal and photovoltaic cogeneration system that increases the system’s electrical efficiency. This was achieved by reducing the absorption temperature of solar radiation and utilising the residual heat obtained from cooling the photovoltaic modules, to meet the thermal needs for heating or cooling through an absorption machine.
The CTTC of the UPC worked on the thermal and fluid dynamic optimisation of the thermal-photovoltaic concentration receiver by numerically simulating the entire device under different geometries and working conditions. This technology is designed for domestic and industrial applications. Potential application cases were studied under various environmental conditions for different regions and countries of use. A first prototype was validated under real operating conditions. The numerical results indicate an increase in the overall heat transfer coefficient of between 25% and 30%.
Consortium, budget and funding
The project also involved the Institute of Electrical Measurement and Sensor Systems of the University of Graz (Austria) and the Solar Energy Research Center of Ankara University. ECOSUN started in February 2020 and ended in January 2023. It had a total budget of €1,281,639 from the European ERA-LEARN programme.
Related Projects
SATE-VEG: A system for energy renovation of buildings that helps reduce the urban heat island effect
Researchers from the Architecture, Energy and Environment (AiEM) group at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC) have developed SATE-VEG, an external thermal insulation system with a vegetal coating that offers seasonally adaptive thermal behaviour, enhances urban biodiversity and promotes positive health effects. The system is made from organic materials, requires low maintenance and consumes minimal water.- A research team from the Interdisciplinary Group on Building Science and Technology (GICITED) at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – BarcelonaTech (UPC) is leading the BioSAFE project, which aims to develop sustainable building envelopes —mainly façades— designed according to sustainability, comfort and safety criteria, with particular attention to their acoustic behaviour and fire performance.
- The Architecture, Energy and Environment (AiEM) research group at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC) has characterised Barcelona’s residential buildings according to their capacity to adapt to climate change. This study is part of the project ‘VeUvE: Urban havens for vulnerable zones’. The work highlights the climate inequality conditions present across different areas of the city and will help to better define the priorities and energy renovation strategies for its districts.
- The Construction Materials and Roads (MATCAR) research group at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC) has carried out the RELUM project with the aim of researching and developing innovative solutions to help prevent global warming, through the design of sustainable pavements with reflective and photoluminescent properties, in collaboration with the company Sorigué.
