Opportunities for the Integration of Solar Thermal Heat, Photovoltaics and Biomass in a Brazilian Hospital

The present study assesses the technical, economic and environmental feasibility of integrating renewable energy technologies (photovoltaic panels, solar thermal collectors, and biomass boilers), thermal energy storage units, absorption chillers, mechanical chillers, natural gas boilers, and power exchange with the grid in a university hospital located in Campinas (Brazil). The proposed design procedure combines mathematical programming techniques, such as a mixed integer linear programming model, addressing the synthesis, operational planning and dynamic operation conditions, with process integration techniques, such as the problem table algorithm (the algebraic tool of Pinch Analysis). The methodology is applied considering actual local data (energy demands, energy prices, climatic data), investment costs, and CO2 emissions factors. The results show that under the conditions considered herein, biomass is economically the most appropriate fuel for heat production, displacing the deployment of natural gas; cooling production, on the other hand, is made entirely with electricity purchased from the grid. From the solar energy technologies, only the photovoltaic panels were included as a result of the condition that the annual electricity sold to the grid must be equal to the annual electricity purchased.