Optimal design of a hybrid air conditioning system under electrical grid constraint.

About half of the electricity consumption in Lebanon comes from residential and commercial sectors. Efforts to put in place to reduce this consumption must be first directed towards improving the thermal performance of buildings. The use of efficient energy systems for heating and cooling buildings is the next step. Traditional separate energy conversion systems reach their limits in term of energy efficiency and system integration is needed for further improvement. In particular when external constraints, such as electricity grid constraints, impose the usage of private means for electricity generation. Therefore, the diversity of possible energy sources, as well as different ways of using these energy sources will result in many possible design options. It is necessary to use energy simulation tools and energy integration techniques to assist in the design of such hybrid energy systems. This paper presents the design methodology that has been applied to an office building in Beirut allowing the design of a hybrid air conditioning system including energy storage, vapor compression chiller and absorption system.