The integrated solar absorption heat pump system includes an absorption heat pump assembly (AHPA) having a generator, a condenser in fluid communication with the generator, an evaporator/absorber in fluid communication with the condenser and the generator, and a heat exchanger in communicating relation with the evaporator/absorber; a solar collector in fluid communication with the generator of the AHPA; a photovoltaic thermal collector in communicating relation with the evaporator/absorber of the AHPA; a plurality of pumps configured for pumping a fluid throughout the system to provide the desired heating or cooling; a power storage source, e.g., a solar battery, in communicating relation with the photovoltaic thermal collector; and a coil unit in communicating relation to the evaporator/absorber for receiving an air-stream. The absorption heat pump assembly can include an absorber and a solution heat exchanger.

The invention relates to an energy storage system for storing heat and coldness and for providing electrical energy, characterized by an energy converter, wherein the energy converter is designed to produce electrical energy from heat and coldness and to produce heat and coldness from electrical energy, the energy converter being in heat-transferring contact with a hot heat exchanger and with a cold heat exchanger, the hot heat exchanger being connected to a heat reservoir and the cold heat exchanger being connected to a coldness reservoir, and a control unit being provided, which operates the energy storage system in a first operating mode, in which heat and coldness are formed from electrical energy by means of the energy converter, and in a second operating mode, in which electrical energy is produced from heat and coldness.

A solar-powered two-bed adsorption chiller which can operate after sunset when the solar radiation intensity becomes zero. Rechargeable solar-powered batteries (SPBs) are connected to a flat-plate solar collector (FPSC). The photoelectric charges are directed from FPSC to a solar charge controller (SCC) which acts as a charge amplifier thus magnifying the total charge before it is finally collected inside the SPB for future use. The SPB is in turn connected to a resistance heating wire (RHW) which is immersed inside the HWST.

The invention relates to a device for storing temperature-controlled fluids, comprising at least one container (20), a Peltier element (30), the hot side (301) of which is in contact with at least one wall (201) of the container (209), at least one device (40) for delivering ambient air to the cold side (302) of the Peltier element (30), and at least one electrical energy source (50, 501, 502) for supplying the Peltier element (30) and the device (40) for delivering the ambient air. For low-loss storage of the fluid in the container (20), the device (40) for delivering ambient air can be operated according to the temperature of the ambient air and the heating capacity of the Peltier element (30) can be controlled according to the currently produced electrical energy of a photovoltaic solar generator (501) forming an electrical energy source. Preferably, times and/or durations of the heat energy emitted from the Peltier element (30) and/or from an accumulator (502) to the fluid can be controlled by a control appliance (6) on the basis of at least one requirements specification stored in the control appliance (60).

A method for determining a preferential minimum power set point by a consumer i, said consumer including an electric water heater, the method including determining the state of the consumer i at an instant k; determining a minimum power set point P.sub.c.sup.min(i,k) at the instant k as a function of the state of the consumer i determined during the determining of the state of the consumer i at an instant k; determining a minimum power set point P.sub.c.sup.min(i,k+1:K) at the instants k+1 to K as a function of the predicted state of the consumer i estimated from the state of the consumer i determined during the determining of the state of the consumer i at an instant k; determining a preferential minimum power set point P.sub.c.sup.min_pref(i,k) as a function of the minimum power set point P.sub.c.sup.min(i,k) at the instant k and of the minimum power set point P.sub.c.sup.min(i,k+1:K) at the instants k+1 to K.

Provided herein are various systems and methods (i.e., utilities) broadly directed to the generation of hot water using energy derived from renewable energy sources as an alternative to or in conjunction with another power source (e.g., fossil fuel-based energy from a utility provider, an underperforming solar/wind/wind system, etc.). In the various aspects, these utilities are directed to the retrofitting of existing water heaters with electrical heating elements that are connectable to a renewable source of electrical energy. While primarily discussed in relation to retrofitting existing water heaters, various aspects are applicable to OEM manufactured systems. Further, various control methods are provided that allow for enhancing the efficiency of hot water generation, net metering, and/or the generation of renewable energy credits.

A solar thermal assisted water heating system includes a thermal collector comprising a plurality of fluid channels configured to collect heat from a surface of a photovoltaic module, a drain-back tank coupled to the thermal collector, a first pump coupled to the drain-back tank and configured to pump fluid from the drain-back tank to the thermal collector, a first heat exchanger configured to receive fluid from the thermal collector, a heat pump coupled to the first heat exchanger and configured to remove heat from the fluid and heat water with the removed heat, and a controller configured to control the first pump and heat pump. The system may include a photovoltaic module and a hot water tank. These systems improve the efficiency of water heating, and the drain-back tank may serve as a thermal battery that stores heat and provides the stored heat when environmental temperatures decrease.

A modular integrated thermal-electric roofing system is disclosed. The system may include a thermal collector system configured with a photovoltaic system. The thermal collector system may include a liquid flowing through thermal tubing that may be heated by the sun. A pump and thermal control system may extract thermal energy from the liquid. A series of photovoltaic tiles may be configured on top of the thermal tubing to collect solar energy and convert it into electricity, and to aid in the heating of the thermal tubing. On doing so, the thermal tubing may cool the photovoltaic tiles. The system may be modular for easy installation. The system may also be mounted onto a support structure and may be portable and/or transportable.

Provided is a heating installation including an energy store including a latent heat energy storage medium, and a heat pump having a defrost cycle, the heating installation including a hot water supply system arranged to supply instantaneous heated water and space heating to a building, and a processor to control the installation. The processor being configured to: control the supply of heat from the heat pump to the latent heat energy storage medium to store heat for heating water and to a heating circuit for providing space heating; and estimate a likelihood of a defrost cycle by the heat pump. In anticipation of an impending defrost cycle, the processor further being configured to control operation of the installation to store additional energy by at least one of: heating the latent heat energy storage medium to a higher level than a level set for anticipated water heating demand alone and/or heating the building and/or circulating heating fluid of the installation to a higher level than a level set for desired building heating; to compensate for an absence of heat from the heat pump during the impending defrost cycle.

An adaptor for adapting a solar electric generator and solar heater to a thermal storage device, the adaptor including a first port, a second port, a third port, a fourth port and a pump configured for receiving a fluid through the third port and pulling the fluid through the third port from a thermal storage device to the fourth port, wherein the first port and the fourth port are configured to be supplied on a first surface and the second port and third port are configured to be supplied on a second surface.