Experimental energy performance in electrified renewable energy-sharing community

Abstract

In this study, the empirical results of renewable energy self-sufficiency for communities consisting of residential and nonresidential buildings were analyzed. These buildings were combined with a grid-connected electrified community. The community was primarily powered by building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems, and cooling and heating water were supplied by geothermal and hydrothermal source heat pump systems. The community building comprised 56 detached houses and two office buildings. The community’s primary electricity generation was provided by a 500 kWp BIPV, approximately 7.1 kWp installed per household. This community had facilities that provided cooling, heating, and domestic hot water from heat supply stations. Thermal energy for cooling and heating was mainly generated by geothermal and sewage water-source heat pumps, stored in a daily heat storage tank, and supplied to households. Based on the analysis using ISO 13790-based software, the cooling and heating requirements were 51 and 42 kWh/m2, respectively. The cooling and heating requirements were 49 and 44 kWh/m2, and a difference of approximately 5% between the simulation and experiment results was observed. Consequently, the annual zero-net energy balance was 138.2% when the plug load was excluded but 46.8% when the plug and electric-vehicle electricity loads were included.