Abstract
Matching demand profile and solar irradiance availability is necessary to meet space heating and domestic hot water needs by means of an air-source heat pump and photovoltaic system in a single-family house. Demand-side management, with smart control of the water storage set-point, is a simple but effective technique. Several studies in the literature pursue demand-side matching and self-consumption goals through system adjustments based on the model predictive control. This study proposes a rule-based control strategy, based on instantaneous photovoltaic (PV) power production, with the purpose of enhancing the self-consumption. This strategy exploits the building’s thermal capacitance as a virtual battery, and the thermal storage capacity of the system by running the heat pump to its limit when PV surplus power is available, and by eventually using an electric heater in order to reach higher temperatures. Results of annual dynamic simulations of a building and its heating system show that the proposed rule-based control strategy is able to reduce significantly the energy exchanges between the system and the grid. Despite the enlarged renewable energy share, economic analysis points out the pursuit of the self-consumption goal may lead to a diminution of the economic advantage in the Italian context (Italian weather data and the electric power pricing scheme).
Highlights
In Europe, there is a clear long-term objective to decarbonise the energy system
An air-to-water heat pump (AWHP) coupled with photovoltaic (PV) panels can play an important role in meeting the European targets, as evidenced by their increasing share in the European market
The contribution boosts the installation of PV plants, helping to meet the goal of the progressive de-carbonization of the dwelling sector
Summary
In Europe, there is a clear long-term objective to decarbonise the energy system. The residential sector is responsible for 25.4% of the final energy consumption in the EU28 [1]; it represents 63% of the potential building energy savings in 2050 [2]. The average final energy demand in the EU28 residential stock is 160 kWh m−2 y−1 for heating, 31 kWh m−2 y−1 for domestic hot water, and 12 kWh m−2 y−1 for space cooling [3]. The share of energy consumption for space cooling is quite low, since less than 20% of the residential buildings in Europe meet their cooling needs, with many buildings opting to live with the discomfort of overheating rather than pay for the cost of cooling to a comfortable level [4]. An air-to-water heat pump (AWHP) coupled with photovoltaic (PV) panels can play an important role in meeting the European targets, as evidenced by their increasing share in the European market
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