Another Excel-based tool is the Environmental Life Cycle Impacts of Solar Air-conditioning Systems (ELISA). This user-friendly Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tool can assist researchers, designers, and decision makers in evaluating the life cycle energy and environmental advantages for solar cooling systems in place of conventional ones. This easy to use tool, designed for educational and research activities, takes into consideration specific climatic conditions and building loads.

ELISA was developed by the University of Palermo to carry out simplified LCAs and to compare SHC systems with conventional systems. It can:

• 
  Be used for different geographic contexts


• 
  Compare up to 4 typologies of systems:

1. 
   SHC system


2. 
   SHC system with photovoltaic panels (PVs)


3. 
   Conventional systems


4. 
   Conventional systems with PVs

• 
  Calculate for:

1. 
   Global warming potential (GWP)


2. 
   Global energy requirement (GER)


3. 
   Energy payback time (EPT)


4. 
   GWP payback time (GWP-PT)


5. 
   Energy return ratio (ERR)

Elisa Tool

• 
  http://task53.iea-shc.org/data/sites/53/media/tools/elisa/elisa-tool.xlsm">Elisa Tool (.xlsm)

Contacts: Marco Beccali (marco.beccali@dream.unipa.it) / Sonia Longo (sonialongo@dream.unipa.it)