Abstract
• An open-source virtual testbed in Modelica for studying Net-Zero Energy Communities. • Physics-based and data-driven models are both considered to provide flexibilities. • All the models are validated against real measurement. • A software framework for optimizing the design and operation with the testbed. • An comprehensive evaluation on a demand-response control strategy with this testbed. Net-Zero Energy Communities (NZECs) are critical to assuring the sustainability and resilience of modernized power systems. System modeling helps overcome technical challenges in designing and operating NZECs. In this paper, we present an open-source NZEC virtual testbed in Modelica based on a real NZEC in Florida, USA. This testbed consists of two sets of models: (1) higher-fidelity physics-based models that consider the interaction between subsystems of the studied NZEC and capture fast dynamics, and (2) lower-fidelity data-driven models that require fewer resources to establish and/or run. All models are validated against measurements from this real NZEC. In addition, this testbed includes a simulation framework that streamlines the processes for simulation and thus allows the use of developed models to form a virtual testbed. To demonstrate the usage of the virtual testbed, a case study is conducted where a building-to-grid integration control is evaluated via simulation. The evaluation results suggest that the tested control significantly smooths the power draw of the studied community and does not sacrifice thermal comfort to a great extent.
Highlights
1 Introduction From an energy perspective, a community is a set of buildings that are served by the same energy systems, e.g., electricity generation or space heating/cooling systems
An Net-zero energy communities (NZECs) is a complex combination of multiple subsystems, usually including renewable energy generation; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC); refrigeration; domestic hot water (DHW); and other miscellaneous equipment
We present an open-source NZEC virtual testbed in Modelica based on a real NZEC, the Historic Green Village (HGV)
Summary
A community is a set of buildings that are served by the same energy systems, e.g., electricity generation or space heating/cooling systems. Despite these encouraging applications, designing and operating an NZEC is challenging, primarily because of the coupling relationships between subsystems within NZECs. An NZEC is a complex combination of multiple subsystems, usually including renewable energy generation; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC); refrigeration; DHW; and other miscellaneous equipment. We develop and validate an opensource NZEC virtual testbed This testbed can meet different requirements for designing and operating NZECs and provides great flexibility in terms of model selection and integration for simulation and optimization. This NZEC virtual testbed allows considering three types of buildings: office, residential, and retail buildings; and one kind of distributed energy resource: PV panels.
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