Coupled solar thermal - air source heat pump (ASHP) system integrating thermal energy storage for electrification of space heating in cold climates

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Globally buildings use over 40% of the total energy consumption and give over 39% of the total CO2 emissions. In Canada, space heating and water heating account for over 80% of the total energy used in homes most of which comes from fossil-fueled energy systems. With the increasing concerns of climate change and the impending catastrophic weather events, there is an urgent need to shift to renewable and cleaner sources of energy. Heat pumps are being considered a potential replacement for fossil fuel-based space heating technologies. They are highly efficient giving efficiencies between 200 - 600% depending on the technology (air source or ground source) The simplest heat pump technology is the air source heat pump system. It is cheap and easy to install. However, because of its reliance on outdoor ambient air as a source and sink for energy, its performance degrades during the coldest or hottest periods. This is one of the factors hindering their widespread use in extremely cold climates. To improve the performance of air source heat pump systems, we propose coupling a solar thermal system and thermal energy storage with an air source heat pump system. Through detailed numerical modeling under specific local climatic conditions and supporting experimental studies, a system optimized for Canada's cold climates will be developed and installed for long-term performance monitoring. In this NSERC Alliance partnership between the University of Calgary, Eta Energy Solutions, SAIT, and ENMAX, we propose a novel way of injecting solar thermal energy into a refrigeration cycle of a heat pump to improve its performance. We will develop and validate detailed thermodynamic models that establish system performance. Using the developed models, a lab-scale experimental setup will be developed and tested. After that, an actual system will be installed in a residence and its performance monitored. This research has the potential to increase the widespread use of the heat pump technology in our extremely cold climate, helping reduce space heating-related CO2 emissions in our quest to achieve net zero.