REDUCING ENERGY CONSUMPTION: INVESTIGATING SOLAR THERMAL HEAT DEFLECTION INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY TO REDUCE AIR CONDITIONING LOAD AT AIRPORTS – A TECHNO-ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT.

Jerusha Joseph, Professor Freddie Inambao

Abstract: Air conditioning is a significant energy user in buildings in South Africa. Airports have large, centralized air conditioning systems for their terminal buildings which contribute around 20 % of the airport’s energy consumption. Air conditioning systems are sized according to the cooling or heating demand as appropriate. Air conditioning systems not only cost a lot in energy consumption but also in maintenance which over a 20 to 25-year lifespan can make a significant impact on the environment. Designing air conditioning systems to be as efficient as possible in operations is one way of reducing the cost and environmental footprint of air conditioning systems. Another way is to reduce the cooling and heating demand passively. Insulation is effective in resisting heat gain from the environment, but most traditional materials of insulation require maintenance to ensure its effectiveness. Solar heat gain through the roof of buildings is a major contributor to the cooling demand and finding a way to significantly reduce this component will allow for a smaller air conditioning system to be adopted or allow existing air conditioning systems to supply a larger area. This paper presents an investigation into the adoption of a maintenance-free solar thermal heat deflective innovative technology that deflects 85 % to 95 % heat gain to reduce air conditioning energy consumption in airport terminal buildings in South Africa and provides a technical and economic assessment (or techno-economic assessment).  
Keywords: Techno-economic assessments, reducing energy consumption in air conditioning systems, heat deflective coatings that save energy, passive cooling techniques for airport buildings