Smart micro grids for Nearly Zero Energy Buildings

Abstract

The paper presents a feasible model of architecture for the technical building systems (TBS) particularly suitable for Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (NZEBs). NZEBs are buildings where the energetic consumption are optimized by means of solutions that drastically reduce both electric and thermal demand, while residual required energy has to be provided by local renewable generation. The suggested model aggregates the users around an electric node in a common microgrid in order to reach up the threshold value of electric power and to get a more virtuous and flexible cumulative load profile. The building (or a group of buildings) represents the natural limit of the aggregation of the electric systems, like in the heating systems. Present proposal is a full electric smart micro grid with heating and domestic hot water generated by a centralized electric heat pump system. The renewable energy is provided by a photovoltaic field. The authors suggest to control the whole electric demand of the building by exploiting its thermal inertia as an energy storage by forcing both local and central set points of heating and air conditioning systems and time shifting opportunities of smart appliances. A case study is presented.