The substitution of fossil fuels by thermal solar energy exploitation entails the reduction of air emission from fuel combustion. However, despite the large technical/economic potential of LSSH systems, their application are more over less limited to a small number of countries. In view of a wider exploitation of LSSH systems the technical and financial feasibility has to be demonstrated to the potential investors. While engineering planning tools are available on the market there is a great need for tools to analyse the technical/economic and financial feasibility at the very early project phase.
The major project result is the development of an expert system, which allows non-experts, which are normally decision-making bodies for or against a LSSH plant integration, to perform a technical, and financial/economic project analysis at the very early project phase.
The key strengths of the expert system are summarized:
- Strengths of the expert system;
- Uncomplicated data input for �Non Experts� through wizard mode and project specific default value setting;
- Control of data input for experts through project specific default value setting;
- Optimisation of existing systems on the basis of economic / financial criteria;
- Technical and economic verification during data input;
- Solar system dimensioning based on data base and nomogram algorithm;
- Financial analysis of the entire heating system or only for the solar system;
- User specific preparation of reports;
- Problems of Large-Scale Solar Heating (LSSH) systems relate to technical, economic and financial issues and relationships.
