Field study of hybrid photovoltaic thermal and heat pump system for public hospital in the tropics

In the past, thermal comfort in naturally ventilated hospital wards was not a major issue to discuss, but now this matter needs to be revisited following the effects of climate change. A Hybrid Photovoltaic Thermal (PVT) and Heat Pump System (HPVTHPS) was proposed in this field study to enhance the thermal comfort of naturally ventilated hospital wards. The heat pump was used for heating water and producing cold air to reduce the air temperature in the ward, besides being an active cooling agent to improve the performance of the PVT system. Thus, the main purpose of this article is to evaluate an on-site performance of a HPVTHPS in providing hot water and space cooling for naturally ventilated hospital wards in tropical climates. Overall, the proposed HPVTHPS installation has reduced the room temperature of the hospital ward compared to the baseline temperature with an average temperature drop ranging from 0.5 °C to 3.9 °C. The PVT system also shows high efficiency values between 51.0% and 69.0% which include thermal and electrical energy performance. The findings in this study are very useful for hospital management in improving thermal comfort in hospital wards using efficient and low energy systems.