A Building Energy Management System Based on an Equivalent Electric Circuit Model

Abstract

In recent decades, many EU and national regulations have been issued in order to increase the energy efficiency in different sectors and, consequently, to reduce environmental pollution. In the building sector, energy efficiency interventions are usually based on the use of innovative insulated materials and on the installation of cogeneration and tri-generation units, as well as solar technologies. New and retrofitted buildings are more and more commonly being called “smart buildings”, since they are characterized by the installation of electric and thermal power generation units, energy storage systems, and flexible loads; the presence of such technologies determines the necessity of installing Building Energy Management Systems (BEMSs), which are used to optimally manage their operation. The present paper proposes a BEMS for a smart building, equipped with plants based on renewables (photovoltaics, solar thermal panels, and geothermal heat pump), where the heating and cooling demand are satisfied by a Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning System (HVAC) fed by a geothermal heat pump. The developed BEMS is composed of two different modules: an optimization tool used to optimally manage the HVAC plant, in order to guarantee a desired level of comfort inside rooms, and a simulation tool, based on an equivalent electric circuit model and used to evaluate the thermal dynamic behavior of the building. The paper describes the two modules and shows the main results of the validation phase that has been conducted on a real test-case represented by the Smart Energy Building (SEB) located at the Savona Campus of the University of Genoa, Italy.

Key Performance Indicators for an Energy Community Based on Sustainable Technologies

“…Today, the Campus hosts research laboratories of the University, research centers and SMEs. In the last decade, the "Energia 2020" project was developed at the Savona Campus [36][37][38][39][40]. It represents an important R&D project related to the concepts of Sustainable Energy (renewable energy, energy saving and reduction of CO 2 emissions) and the Smart City.…”

“…The EMS is based on an MILP (mixed-integer linear programming) model, which aims to determine the daily optimal scheduling of cogeneration units, boilers and storage systems, with the goal of minimizing operating costs and emissions. In the SEB, shown in Figure 2, the heating and cooling system is based on the exploitation of the geothermal source by a heat pump having a 45 kW rated thermal power coupled with eight borehole heat exchangers [36,38]. The building is also equipped with an air source heat pump (11.5 kW) and two vacuum tube solar collectors (Kloben Sky Pro 10 advanced type) for the production of domestic hot water, while an air-handling unit (21 kW rated thermal power) controls the air quality in each room of the building.…”

Optimal Control of Hybrid Systems and Renewable Energies

“…The authors in [9] propose the design of a comprehensive inverter-BESS (battery energy storage system) primary control capable of providing satisfactory performances, both in grid-connected and islanded configurations, independently of the number of paralleled generators. In [10], a building automation and energy management system (BEMS) is proposed for a case in which the building uses renewables (geothermal heat pump, solar panels, PV) to satisfy thermal and electrical demands. The developed BEMS includes an equivalent electric circuit model and an optimization tool to optimally manage the HVAC plant, in order to guarantee a desired level of comfort inside rooms.…”

Assessment of a District Trigeneration Biomass Powered Double Organic Rankine Cycle as Primed Mover and Supported Cooling

“…Surprisingly, there is a huge gap between the promises of energy for all, with nearly one billion people without access to electricity. This gap necessitates rapid, proactive solutions to ebb global greenhouse gas emissions, highlighting the need for possible renewable-driven energy shifts [1,2]. The incorporation of renewable energy becomes more important, particularly as the economies of several nations is improving [3].…”