We present a Success Story on an air conditioning project with solar panels installed in a material distribution company in Costa Rica.
by ACR Latin America
Three companies belonging to the Climate Group of Costa Rica participated in the realization of an air conditioning project that has as a great novelty the installation of solar panels for the generation of energy from air conditioning equipment. The companies involved were Consorcio de Montajes Industriales (CMI), Clima Ideal and Integración de Servicios Automatizados.
The project was installed at Construplaza in Guachipelin de Escazú, Costa Rica. It is a distributor of construction materials, hardware and finishes. It began operations more than 30 years ago in downtown San Jose with a warehouse of building materials. Then, in 2001, it consolidated its operation in Escazú where the installation of this project was made.
The show rooms of Construplaza did not have air conditioning systems installed, therefore Grupo Clima entered into the realization of the project that sought to make more comfortable the visits of customers to the site.
For the show rooms, both the first and second level, Toshiba brand equipment with Variable Refrigerant Volume technology better known as "VRV" or "VRF" was used. 5 modules of condensing units were used, approximately an installed cooling capacity of 61 tons of cooling. In addition, cassette evaporator units were implemented for the first level and fan Coil equipment was used according to level with exposed ducts in Galvanized Iron (HG).
Solar panels
As we mentioned at the beginning, the main novelty and challenge of the project was to install air conditioning in offices and show room without the need to increase the electrical capacity that supplies such infrastructure.
The project consisted of the installation of 238 panels to power the air conditioning system. As a result, you have greater comfort in your facilities without paying for more electricity consumption.
The air and the set of panels work at the same time, so energy savings are obtained through an electricity demand control provided by Integración de Servicios Automatizados (ISA), an expert company in energy efficiency of Grupo Clima.
The air conditioning system is powered by solar energy, which is equivalent to preventing about 45 tons of CO2 from being sent into the atmosphere annually or planting 1,157 trees that transform that carbon dioxide.
Among the main advantages of the solution installed by Grupo Clima are the high efficiency, the ease of assembly of its systems and its great reliability. Clima Ideal maintains the guarantee of these air conditioning systems with the use of panels as if it were a regular installation connected to the power supply.
Difficulties overcome
Like any project, there are always some drawbacks that must be solved promptly to deliver optimal results. In this case, the company proposed a solution already mentioned and which was accepted by the client.
Grupo Clima explained that the main drawback of the client was that the electrical capacity of the transformer it had installed was not enough to cover the new demand for the air conditioning equipment it wanted to install. This is because initially the electrical design part of the project did not contemplate using air conditioning systems. Therefore, if the client wanted to install the air systems, he had to make an extremely large investment in the change of the transformers and the electrical part, as well as spend a lot of time on all the permits before the National Company of Force and Light to make these modifications.
That's when they made the client the recommendation to use the solar panels, with which, he did not have the need to increase the electrical capacity he had installed. With this he achieved a great economic saving because it was not necessary to modify the electrical infrastructure he had, he also managed to be able to feed the air conditioning systems with 100% clean energy and have a great saving in the electricity billing in the medium term.
Results
Grupo Clima said that the user of the installation was pleased because different problems were solved: "Our client was extremely pleased with the installed systems, this because in the first place he managed to condition the exhibition areas he wanted. Second, it was not necessary to make a large economic investment in the existing electrical systems. Third, it managed to install a solar panel technology with which it obtains a great economic saving in electricity billing and is also contributing to the environment by producing 100% clean energy."
To highlight
This project won the 2016 Innovation Award granted by Grupo Clima. This award is evaluated among a maximum of nine proposals for innovative ideas that have been implemented in any of the processes, products or services of any of the companies that are part of the Group. The project was considered worthy of this award for its 100% customer-oriented approach, managing to offer a solution that allowed to integrate services from three different companies. In addition, the environmental impact of the facility, equivalent to an annual saving of 45 tons of CO2 sent into the atmosphere or a plantation of 1,157 trees, was another reason for the selection of the project as the winner.
Overview
Installation signature: Climate Group
Manufacturers involved: Toshiba (VRF)
Company or place covered with the installation: Construplaza
Installation dates: Early 2014
