Economic-environmental performance indexes for solar-powered absorption cooling system in Mediterranean area

The most recent European (Directive 2006/32/CE of April 5/2006 relating to the efficiency of the final uses of the energy and the energetic services) and national (Decree 311/06) normatives impose the use of energetic systems more efficient that minimize the use of fossil fuels in comparison to the use of renewable energy. In this research a comparison was developed between the traditional electric equipments (which use vapour compression) and the absorption equipments (powered by solar thermal energy). This comparison was implemented considering the energetic, economic and environmental aspects. This research explores the technical - economic potentialities of solar HVAC systems, with particular reference to those based on the absorption cycles, verifying the possible applications in regions of the Mediterranean area (in particular Madrid, Palermo and Athens). In particular we define an economic index and an environmental-energetic index.