Abstract
Microgeneration technologies are positioned to address future building energy efficiency requirements and facilitate the integration of renewables into buildings to ensure a sustainable, energy-secure future. This paper explores the development of a robust multi-input multi-output (MIMO) controller applicable to the control of hybrid renewable microgeneration systems with the objective of minimising the electrical grid utilisation of a building while fulfilling the thermal demands. The controller employs the inverse dynamics of the building, servicing systems, and energy storage with a robust control methodology. These inverse dynamics provides the control system with knowledge of the complex cause and effect relationships between the system, the controlled inputs, and the external disturbances, while an outer-loop control ensures robust, stable control in the presence of modelling deficiencies/uncertainty and unknown disturbances. Variable structure control compensates for the physical limitations of the systems whereby the control strategy employed switches depending on the current utilisation and availability of the energy supplies. Preliminary results presented for a system consisting of a micro-CHP unit, solar PV, and battery storage indicate that the control strategy is effective in minimising the interaction with the local electrical network and maximising the utilisation of the available renewable energy.
Highlights
IntroductionThe harmony between the technologies is greatest in colder climates where the micro-combined heat and power (CHP) units’ maximum output is during winter when the thermal demands of the building are high while the solar PV generation is at its lowest; with the opposite scenario observed in the summer months
Microgeneration technologies (MGTs) are positioned to address future building energy efficiency requirements and facilitate the integration of renewables into buildings to ensure a sustainable, energy-secure future
The harmony between the technologies is greatest in colder climates where the micro-combined heat and power (CHP) units’ maximum output is during winter when the thermal demands of the building are high while the solar PV generation is at its lowest; with the opposite scenario observed in the summer months
Summary
The harmony between the technologies is greatest in colder climates where the micro-CHP units’ maximum output is during winter when the thermal demands of the building are high while the solar PV generation is at its lowest; with the opposite scenario observed in the summer months Combining this system with EES that can regulate the mismatch in generation (which could be small were the systems sized appropriately), it could offer complete independence from the electrical network. This research explores the development of multi-input multioutput (MIMO) control algorithms and their application to the problem of controlling microgeneration devices and energy storage within a building with the primary objectives of fulfilling the thermal and electrical demands of the building while minimising the interaction with the local electrical network
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Published Version
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