Design, Analysis and Comparative Case Study of PV-Integrated Horizontal

Coupling PV generation with a heat pump – whether ground- or air-coupled – allows the thermal and electrical halves of a building's energy demand to be met largely from on-site renewable resources, cutting grid dependence, operating cost and carbon emissions relative to either technology used alone. The comparison in this paper indicates that standard PV integration with a horizontal GSHP gives the best balance of installed cost and long-term saving for sites where loop-field land is available, since the two subsystems can each be sized and operated near their individual optimum without the added capital cost of PVT collectors. PVT integration remains justified where thermal yield per unit roof area is the binding constraint, despite its higher cost and generally shorter service life relative to PV. Where land for a horizontal loop field cannot be accommodated, an air-to-water heat pump paired with battery-backed PV offers a practical alternative, trading the excavation requirement for additional storage cost. In all three configurations, self-consumption of PV electricity by the heat pump reduces the load placed on the distribution grid, improves the economic return on the PV investment, and moves the building closer to zero-energy operation.

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