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Montane, M., Ruiz-Valero, L., Labra, C., Faxas-Guzman, J. G., & Girard, A. (2021). Comparative energy consumption and photovoltaic economic analysis for residential buildings in Santiago de Chile and Santo Domingo of the Dominican Republic. Renew. Sust. Energ. Rev., 146, 111175.
Abstract: This research compares the building energy consumption and the photovoltaic economic analysis between residential buildings in Santiago de Chile and Santo Domingo of the Dominican Republic. The methodology considered thermal simulation, sizing of a solar PV system, an economic analysis and CO2 emissions given the solar resources of both countries. A scenario where the constructive systems are switched between the countries was also analyzed. A comparison of the energy performances of the houses exposed to other climate conditions. Results show that housing in Santiago de Chile required less energy than housing in Santo Domingo due to the fact that the thermal transmittance of the enclosures of the Chilean housing has better thermal behavior, compared to the materials of the Dominican housing. Dominican houses need a higher amount of electricity for air cooling due to the high temperatures in the tropic. Meanwhile, Chilean countries requires a higher amount of gas for heating purposes. The Dominican Republic lacks thermal regulation for construction material, and applying Chilean standards in Dominican houses, helped to lower the yearly electricity demand by 19%. Dominican constructions materials improvement could have an important impact in the country's overall goal to lower CO2 emission and in-house energy savings. The economic analysis showed that the Dominican Republic renewable energies incentives contribute to the development of very attractive PV projects, meanwhile in Chile, the use of net metering instead of net billing could increase by 11 times the net present value of PV projects.
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Simon, F., Ruiz-Valero, L., Girard, A., & Galleguillos, H. (2023). Experimental and Numerical Analysis of a PCM-Integrated Roof for Higher Thermal Performance of Buildings. J. Therm. Sci., Early Access.
Abstract: Phase change materials (PCMs) designate materials able to store latent heat. PCMs change state from solid to liquid over a defined temperature range. This process is reversible and can be used for thermo-technical purposes. The present paper aims to study the thermal performance of an inorganic eutectic PCM integrated into the rooftop slab of a test room and analyze its potential for building thermal management. The experiment is conducted in two test rooms in Antofagasta (Chile) during summer, fall, and winter. The PCM is integrated into the rooftop of the first test room, while the roof panel of the second room is a sealed air cavity. The work introduces a numerical model, which is built using the finite difference method and used to simulate the rooms' thermal behavior. Several thermal simulations of the PCM room are performed for other Chilean locations to evaluate and compare the capability of the PCM panel to store latent heat thermal energy in different climates. Results show that the indoor temperature of the PCM room in Antofagasta varies only 21.1 degrees C +/- 10.6 degrees C, while the one of the air-panel room varies 28.3 degrees C +/- 18.5 degrees C. Under the experiment's conditions, the PCM room's indoor temperature observes smoother diurnal fluctuations, with lower maximum and higher minimum indoor temperatures than that of the air-panel room. Thermal simulations in other cities show that the PCM panel has a better thermal performance during winter, as it helps to maintain or increase the room temperature by some degrees to reach comfort temperatures. This demonstrates that the implementation of such PCM in the building envelope can effectively reduce space heating and cooling needs, and improve indoor thermal comfort in different climates of Chile.
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