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Energies
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District Energy System Design: Simulation, Optimization and Decision Support
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District Energy System Design: Simulation, Optimization and Decision Support

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "F: Electrical Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (29 February 2020) | Viewed by 15645

Printed Edition Available!
A printed edition of this Special Issue is available here.

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Christian Inard

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Laboratoire des Sciences de l’Ingénieur Pour l’Environnement (LASIE, UMR CNRMS 7356), La Rochelle Université, 17000 La Rochelle, France
Interests: energy efficiency in building; thermal engineering; building simulation; green building
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Jérôme Le Dréau

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
LaSIE UMR CNRS 7356, Université de La Rochelle, La Rochelle, France
Interests: low-energy buildings; energy flexibility; performance of building components

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The integration of energy efficiency into the urban planning process is paramount in view of the current context of energy and environmental transition. However, reducing the energy footprint at the district level is a new approach that must be complemented by specific developments. Thus, the contributions related to the research on the best energy concepts concern three main elements: the simulation; the optimisation procedure; and, finally, the decision-making method.

Towards this end, dynamic simulation tools based on physical models (occupants, buildings, production, networks, etc.) at the urban scale must be developed in order to represent the behaviour of all enviormentally-integrated energy flows of a district.

Then,  specific characteristics of the complexity problem should be studied by means of a multi-objective and multi-stage optimisation procedure. This cross-cutting approach could combine energy, economic, and environmental aspects in order to create configurations that guarantee the best overall performance.

Lastly, the selection of the preferential action could be acheived through the use of multicriteria analysis methods that give the planners all the data, enabling them to make the choice that best meets their expectations. This Special Issue aims to encourage researchers to address these different issues.

Prof. Dr. Christian Inard
Prof. Dr. Jérôme Le Dréau
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • district scale 
  • energy modeling 
  • system design 
  • simulation 
  • multi-objective optimization 
  • multi-criteria decision support 
  • renovation strategies

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 1231 KiB  
Article
Combined Optimal Design and Control of Hybrid Thermal-Electrical Distribution Grids Using Co-Simulation
by Edmund Widl, Benedikt Leitner, Daniele Basciotti, Sawsan Henein, Tarik Ferhatbegovic and René Hofmann
Energies 2020, 13(8), 1945; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13081945 - 15 Apr 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2878
Abstract
Innovations in today’s energy grids are mainly driven by the need to reduce carbon emissions and the necessary integration of decentralized renewable energy sources. In this context, a transition towards hybrid distribution systems, which effectively couple thermal and electrical networks, promises to exploit [...] Read more.
Innovations in today’s energy grids are mainly driven by the need to reduce carbon emissions and the necessary integration of decentralized renewable energy sources. In this context, a transition towards hybrid distribution systems, which effectively couple thermal and electrical networks, promises to exploit hitherto unused synergies for increasing efficiency and flexibility. However, this transition poses practical challenges, starting already in the design phase where established design optimization approaches struggle to capture the technical details of control and operation of such systems. This work addresses these obstacles by introducing a design approach that enables the analysis and optimization of hybrid thermal-electrical distribution systems with explicit consideration of control. Based on a set of key prerequisites and modeling requirements, co-simulation is identified as the most appropriate method to facilitate the detailed analysis of such systems. Furthermore, a methodology is presented that links the design process with the implementation of different operational strategies. The approach is then successfully applied to two real-world applications, proving its suitability for design optimization under realistic conditions. This provides a significant extension of established tools for the design optimization of multi-energy systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue District Energy System Design: Simulation, Optimization and Decision Support)
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13 pages, 4667 KiB  
Article
Vehicle-To-Grid for Peak Shaving to Unlock the Integration of Distributed Heat Pumps in a Swedish Neighborhood
by Monica Arnaudo, Monika Topel and Björn Laumert
Energies 2020, 13(7), 1705; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13071705 - 3 Apr 2020
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2361
Abstract
The city of Stockholm is close to hitting the capacity limits of its power grid. As an additional challenge, electricity has been identified as a key resource to help the city to meet its environmental targets. This has pushed citizens to prefer power-based [...] Read more.
The city of Stockholm is close to hitting the capacity limits of its power grid. As an additional challenge, electricity has been identified as a key resource to help the city to meet its environmental targets. This has pushed citizens to prefer power-based technologies, like heat pumps and electric vehicles, thus endangering the stability of the grid. The focus of this paper is on the district of Hammarby Sjöstad. Here, plans are set to switch from district heating to heat pumps. A previous study verified that this choice will cause overloadings on the electricity distribution grid. The present paper tackles this problem by proposing a new energy storage option. By considering the increasing share of electric vehicles, the potential of using the electricity stored in their batteries to support the grid is explored through technical performance simulations. The objective was to enable a bi-directional flow and use the electric vehicles’ (EVs)’ discharging to shave the peak demand caused by the heat pumps. It was found that this solution can eliminate overloadings up to 50%, with a 100% EV penetration. To overcome the mismatch between the availability of EVs and the overloadings’ occurrence, the minimum state of charge for discharging should be lower than 70%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue District Energy System Design: Simulation, Optimization and Decision Support)
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71 pages, 5568 KiB  
Article
A Techno-Economic Centric Integrated Decision-Making Planning Approach for Optimal Assets Placement in Meshed Distribution Network Across the Load Growth
by Syed Ali Abbas Kazmi, Usama Ameer Khan, Hafiz Waleed Ahmad, Sajid Ali and Dong Ryeol Shin
Energies 2020, 13(6), 1444; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13061444 - 19 Mar 2020
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2369
Abstract
The modern distribution networks under the smart grid paradigm have been considered both interconnected and reliable. In grid modernization concepts, the optimal asset optimization across a certain planning horizon is of core importance. Modern planning problems are more inclined towards a feasible solution [...] Read more.
The modern distribution networks under the smart grid paradigm have been considered both interconnected and reliable. In grid modernization concepts, the optimal asset optimization across a certain planning horizon is of core importance. Modern planning problems are more inclined towards a feasible solution amongst conflicting criteria. In this paper, an integrated decision-making planning (IDMP) approach is proposed. The proposed methodology includes voltage stability assessment indices linked with loss minimization condition-based approach, and is integrated with different multi-criteria decision-making methodologies (MCDM), followed by unanimous decision making (UDM). The proposed IDMP approach aims at optimal assets sitting and sizing in a meshed distribution network to find a trade-off solution with various asset types across normal and load growth horizons. An initial evaluation is carried out with assets such as distributed generation (DG), photovoltaic (PV)-based renewable DG, and distributed static compensator (D-STATCOM) units. The solutions for various cases of asset optimization and respective alternatives focusing on technical only, economic only, and techno-economic objectives across the planning horizon have been evaluated. Later, various prominent MCDM methodologies are applied to find a trade-off solution across different cases and scenarios of assets optimization. Finally, UDM is applied to find trade-off solutions amongst various MCDM methodologies across normal and load growth levels. The proposed approach is carried out across a 33-bus meshed configured distribution network. Findings from the proposed IDMP approach are compared with available works reported in the literature. The numerical results achieved have validated the effectiveness of the proposed planning approach in terms of better performance and an effective trade-off solution across various asset types. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue District Energy System Design: Simulation, Optimization and Decision Support)
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22 pages, 4979 KiB  
Article
An Approach to Study District Thermal Flexibility Using Generative Modeling from Existing Data
by Camille Pajot, Nils Artiges, Benoit Delinchant, Simon Rouchier, Frédéric Wurtz and Yves Maréchal
Energies 2019, 12(19), 3632; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12193632 - 24 Sep 2019
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2503
Abstract
Energy planning at the neighborhood level is a major development axis for the energy transition. This scale allows the pooling of production and storage equipment, as well as new possibilities for demand-side management such as flexibility. To manage this growing complexity, one needs [...] Read more.
Energy planning at the neighborhood level is a major development axis for the energy transition. This scale allows the pooling of production and storage equipment, as well as new possibilities for demand-side management such as flexibility. To manage this growing complexity, one needs two tools. The first concerns modeling, allowing exhaustive simulation analyses of buildings and their energy systems. The second concerns optimization, making it possible to decide on the sizing or control of energy systems. In this article, we analyze, in the case of an existing residential neighborhood, the ability to study by modeling and optimization tools two scenarios of energy flexibility of indoor heating. We propose in particular a method allowing to rely on a varied set of data available to build the various models necessary for optimization tools or dynamic simulation. A study was conducted to identify the neighborhood’s flexibility potential in minimizing C O 2 emissions, through shared physical storage, or storage in the building envelope. The results of this optimization study were then compared to their application to the virtual neighborhood by simulation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue District Energy System Design: Simulation, Optimization and Decision Support)
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34 pages, 1848 KiB  
Article
Integrated Optimal Design and Control of Fourth Generation District Heating Networks with Thermal Energy Storage
by Bram van der Heijde, Annelies Vandermeulen, Robbe Salenbien and Lieve Helsen
Energies 2019, 12(14), 2766; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12142766 - 18 Jul 2019
Cited by 28 | Viewed by 4792
Abstract
In the quest to increase the share of renewable and residual energy sources in our energy system, and to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, district heating networks and seasonal thermal energy storage have the potential to play a key role. Different studies prove [...] Read more.
In the quest to increase the share of renewable and residual energy sources in our energy system, and to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, district heating networks and seasonal thermal energy storage have the potential to play a key role. Different studies prove the techno-economic potential of these technologies but, due to the added complexity, it is challenging to design and control such systems. This paper describes an integrated optimal design and control algorithm, which is applied to the design of a district heating network with solar thermal collectors, seasonal thermal energy storage and excess heat injection. The focus is mostly on the choice of the size and location of these technologies and less on the network layout optimisation. The algorithm uses a two-layer program, namely with a design optimisation layer implemented as a genetic algorithm and an optimal control evaluation layer implemented using the Python optimal control problem toolbox called modesto. This optimisation strategy is applied to the fictional district energy system case of the city of Genk in Belgium. We show that this algorithm can find optimal designs with respect to multiple objective functions and that even in the cheaper, less renewable solutions, seasonal thermal energy storage systems are installed in large quantities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue District Energy System Design: Simulation, Optimization and Decision Support)
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