CoolShift+ – Nocturnal cooling of buildings by natural convection and radiation, occasionally enhanced by heat pump. Analysis of suitable system configurations and model validation

Numerous studies predict a strong increase in the cooling demand of buildings. However, for both economic and ecological reasons, electricity consumption must not increase in proportion to the cooling demand. New, efficient cooling solutions are therefore required.

Together with the University of Applied Sciences of Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW) and the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU), we are working on the development of the CoolShift cooling concept. In this concept, waste heat is not released during the day, but with a time delay at night into a much cooler environment. The heat generated during the day is temporarily stored in the thermally activated building mass or in heat storage tanks. The heat is released via PVT collectors or unglazed solar absorbers made of metal or plastic, which are also used to harvest solar energy at daytime.

Experimental characterisation of components and mathematical modelling of components and overall systems are used to create a basis for dimensioning CoolShift cooling systems.