Feasibility Study of Powering Desiccant Evaporative Cooling Systems with Photovoltaic Solar Panels for Hot and Humid Climates of Iran

In the present study, the performance of a Desiccant Evaporative Cooling System (DECS) under eight different designs to provide the desired indoor air conditions for administration buildings was explored via TRNSYS software. An administration building in Chabahar, Iran as a region with a high cooling load demand was considered for the study. The simulation results indicated that the two-stage desiccant cooling system (Des. H) was the most suitable design, and it enjoyed the potential to keep the indoor air conditions within the standard recommendations. It was also shown that Des. H is the superior design in terms of energy performance and can meet the space cooling load requirements. The study showed that Des. H had the highest COP value with 2.83. The possible application of solar energy to the regeneration process of the Des. H was also studied. The simulations revealed that Des. H with and without the solar panels had less energy consumption than the existing system. The study showed that the application of Des. H could ensure 26.97 % saving in power per year in comparison to the existing system. Moreover, it was demonstrated that the addition of PVT panels to Des. H could increase the rate of annual power saving to about 68.03 %.