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Sustainable energy planning includes various requirements, conflicting or not. Thus, any decision making is directly related to analytical procedures and management of a wide range of information (technological, environmental, economic and social). Multi-criteria analysis is a valuable tool, which is suitable to assemble and to manage many variables (quantitative as well as qualitative ones), assessed in different ways, thus offering reliable support for decision making. This analysis scopes to facilitate the photovoltaic (PV) integration in buildings, which combines benefits from shading, power generation, and esthetics. This paper performs a multi-criteria analysis of monocrystalline PV panels mounted on typical south-facing shading devices of office buildings in the Mediterranean region. In total, thirteen different options of shading devices were assessed against a series of criteria which include PV panels’ energy production, buildings’ energy optimization criteria (heating–cooling–lighting loads) and users’ comfort criteria (outdoor view–glare–esthetic aspects). Six different rankings were obtained by the analysis, each one reflecting the priorities and interests of different economic and social groups involved in the design and promotion of integrated PV systems in buildings. The analysis revealed that “Brise soleil full façade” is the most proper shading device when the PV system is mounted on it; in contrary “Canopy inclined double” or “Louvers horizontal inwards inclined” or “Simple window” seem to be the least suitable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Trigeneration systems, also known as Combined Heat, Cooling and Power (CHCP) systems, are interesting alternatives to supply different energy services in urban districts and in large buildings, particularly in warm areas such as Mediterranean countries. These systems can provide substantial benefits from economic, energetic, and environmental viewpoints, since the cogenerated heat can be used for heating in winter as well as cooling in summer with an absorption refrigerator. This paper develops an optimization model using Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) to determine the type, number and capacity of equipment in CHCP systems installed in the tertiary sector as well as to establish the optimal operation mode for the different plant components on an hour-by-hour basis throughout the year. The objective function to be minimized is the annual total cost. The optimization model considers the legal constraints imposed to feed the surplus autogenerated electricity into the grid at a regulated feed-in tariff. The optimization model is applied to design a system providing energy services for a hospital located in the city of Zaragoza (Spain). The effects of the financial market conditions and energy prices in the optimal structure of the system are analyzed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]