Demand Side Management in Microgrids for Load Control in Nearly Zero Energy Buildings

Abstract

The energy policy approach is carrying out a long-time renewal process of the electric and in general energy framework. The energy spent in commercial, residential, and institutional buildings is a great amount (in EU is estimated about 40% of total energy consumption and about 90% in high-density urban areas) [1]. The general encouragement of the rational use of energy, also for residential users, introduced the new approach of the nearly zero-energy buildings (NZEBs) by the European energy performance of buildings directive (EPBD) [3]. NZEB means a building that has a very high energy performance, as determined in accordance with Annex I of Directive [3]. The nearly zero or very low amount of energy required should be covered to a very significant extent by energy from renewable sources, favoring energy from renewable sources produced on-site or nearby. Let us note that the major appliances (both white and brown goods) and other electric loads not fixed (equipment supplied by plugs) are not taken into account in the NZEB qualification. The EPBD requires all new buildings to be NZEBs by the end of 2020 (public buildings must be NZEBs by 2018). A building may reach the NZEB qualification through a complex of efficient technical building systems (TBSs), building automation control system (BACS), and renewable sources, besides a very high energy performance given by envelope insulation and other passive measures [4] . The TBSs that must be provided vary with the type of building, but will generally include a building electric service and power distribution system to serve the loads, a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, a domestic hot water (DHW) system, electronic safety and security systems, and a communication system (ICT). The extremely low amount of energy that NZEBs require (energy spent ES2) comes mostly from renewable local sources (energy generated ERES) like: photovoltaic (PV), ground-source heat pumps (GSHP) or thermal solar systems

Total Cost of Ownership of electric vehicles using energy from a renewable-based microgrid

“…The use of storage units has the additional benefit of mitigating the challenges posed by intermittent power generation and mismatching of energy supply and demand. In combination with energy storage, intelligent load management may lead to sensible improvements in the energy self-consumption in buildings [6]. This is desirable not only because it provides flexibility to the power operator and increases the reliability of the renewable energy sources, but also from an economic standpoint.…”

Integration of demand side and supply side energy management resources for optimal scheduling of demand response loads – South Africa in focus

“…Demand side management (DSM) techniques have been investigated and proven to be viable alternatives to regulating the consumption of electricity from the consumer side with applications from residential to industrial sectors [1,34,27,29,8,2]. According to [46], the two techniques for DSM from the consumer side include energy efficiency improvement programs (insulation, sealing, solar water heating systems etc.)…”

A Nearly Zero-Energy Microgrid Testbed Laboratory: Centralized Control Strategy Based on SCADA System

“…The first represents the power system scheme, such as the electrical switchboard panel and single line diagram of the system. Lighting control, sensors, controllable plugs, weather stations, and air conditioning have been characterized in the KNX part as the second stage, in order to program and implement the smart home and building projects as zero-energy buildings [25][26][27][28][29][30]. The last part is for the energy meters in the switchboard with Modbus communication protocol.…”