Experimental investigation of a novel PVt/heat pump system for energy-efficient poultry houses

Despite the promise of abundant renewable energy resources in the world, the poultry sector is still dominated by traditional energy sources. In this study, results of a field trial of an innovative and cost-effective HVAC system design applied to a poultry house have been presented. This system comprises of two integrated novel components; a polyethylene heat exchanger (PHE) based a photovoltaic thermal (PVt) array and an efficient and innovative ground pipe array coupled to a heat pump driven HVAC system. The analysis included the daily PV electrical output and heat pump performance. The results of the experimental study reveal that 3733 kWh and 2432 kWh heat energy have been supplied in the 7-week growth cycle of chickens condition, respectively. The COP of the HP has been calculated for the winter period and observed between 2.3 and 2.43. The PV system was able to generate 1876 kWh electrical energy with potential to meet HP’s energy needs in the most energy needing period.