Photovoltaic Plant Optimization to Leverage Electric Self Consumption by Harnessing Building Thermal Mass

Abstract

The self-consumption without surplus to the grid is one of the aspects of the new Spanish law for prosumers. Increasing the share of renewable energy sources into the grid inherently leads to several constraints. The mismatch between the energy demand and the renewable energy production, which is intermittent in nature, is one of those challenges. Storage offers the possibility to decouple demand and supply, and therefore, it adds flexibility to the electric system. This research evaluates expanding electricity self-consumption without surplus to the grid by harnessing thermal mass storage in the residential sector. The methodology is investigated by using a variable refrigerant flow air conditioner system. Because there is no option to export the excess capacity to the grid, this research proposes an approach to profiting from this surplus energy by activating structural thermal mass, which is quantified from the information acquired using a building energy model. For this purpose, an EnergyPlus model of a flat in Pamplona (Spain) was used. The optimization analysis was based on a set-point modulation control strategy. Results show that under adequate climatological circumstances, the proposed methodology can reduce the total electric energy from the grid between by 60– 80 % .

User Thermal Comfort in Historic Buildings: Evaluation of the Potential of Thermal Mass, Orientation, Evaporative Cooling and Ventilation

“…Thermal mass (TM) can be classified into two major groups: internal TM, such as furniture, and external TM, such as walls, roofs, and floors [32]. The use of TM can be effective in reducing the total amount of energy and maintaining the thermal comfort levels for the users [23,26,[30][31][32]. TM is the most functional in hot weather when outdoor temperatures soar sharply [31] or in hot summer in cooler regions [25,26,28,[33][34][35].…”

Performance Analysis and Optimisation of a Solar On-Grid Air Conditioner

“…The proposed system guarantees high primary energy saving and an equivalent carbon dioxide emissions reduction up to about 93%. Fernández et al [7] optimised a photovoltaic heat pump to leverage electric self consumption by harnessing building thermal mass in the residential sector. For this purpose, an EnergyPlus model of a flat in Pamplona (Spain) was used.…”

Impact of Actual Weather Datasets for Calibrating White-Box Building Energy Models Base on Monitored Data

“…SABINA echoes this demand, as it focuses on one of the cheapest sources of green energy: thermal inertia inside buildings, also achieving the coupling between heat and power grids. Using thermal inertia as an energy store is referred to as a "power to heat" (P2H) solution [4][5][6].…”