Increasing self electricity consumption by using double water heating tanks for residential net zero-energy buildings

Abstract

The article concentrates on the energy storage problem arising from small scale residential electricity generation, in the current case wind micro turbine and PV panels. The research objective is to increase the locally consumed energy share by using two water tanks, aiming to shorten the breakeven periods of the renewable energy production devices. The shaved peaks from stochastic wind turbine and PV generation are fed into a preheating tank; the remaining excess power is fed into the main tank. The produced and consumed energies are in balance. The observed time period was one year with averaging time step 5 minutes. The annual PV/wind energy production share is assumed to be 30 %/70 % in favor of the wind. The anticipated result is to increase the renewable energy supply cover factor from 0.43 with a single heating tank up To 0.60 by deploying two tanks. If the same production peak shaving principles under the same conditions are applied seasonally, then The resulting supply cover factor can be augmented up to 0.69.