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Energies
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Energy-Flexible Buildings and Districts
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Energy-Flexible Buildings and Districts

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "G: Energy and Buildings".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 March 2021) | Viewed by 15850

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Wilmer Pasut

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Science, Informatics and Statistics, University of Venice, 30172 Mestre (VE), Italy
Interests: energy efficiency in buildings; co-benefits; energy flexibility; plus energy buildings; NZEB; IEQ; thermal comfort; personal comfort systems
Dr. Roberta Pernetti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Renewable Energy, Eurac research, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
Interests: energy efficiency in buildings; energy flexible clusters; technologies for energy renovation; energy flexibility; plus energy buildings; NZEB; LCC

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In an energy grid that is challenged by an increased share of renewable production, buildings and districts are called to take the next step in their evolution toward a flexible management of the demand. The relation between buildings and energy infrastructure is changing, and the same is happening for technologies and control strategies.

Additionally, the paradigm is shifting from single energy-efficient units to interconnected active players that manage the energy at cluster/district level.

The objective of this Special Issue is to bring together new and leading works that address this novel paradigm for energy management in buildings and districts.

Prof. Wilmer Pasut
Dr. Roberta Pernetti
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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

  • Energy-flexible building
  • Energy-flexible district
  • Prosumers
  • Building and grid connection
  • Energy management and controls
  • Users in a flexible indoor environment
  • Assessment of energy flexibility
  • Self-consumption
  • Cost of energy flexibility
  • Decarbonization of energy demand

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 1039 KiB  
Article
The Role of Flexibility in Photovoltaic and Battery Optimal Sizing towards a Decarbonized Residential Sector
by Mattia Dallapiccola, Grazia Barchi, Jennifer Adami and David Moser
Energies 2021, 14(8), 2326; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14082326 - 20 Apr 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2609
Abstract
The ambitious environmental goals set by the 2030 Climate Target Plan can be reached with a strong contribution coming from the residential sector and the exploitation of its flexibility, intended as the capacity of a building to shift its consumption to maximize the [...] Read more.
The ambitious environmental goals set by the 2030 Climate Target Plan can be reached with a strong contribution coming from the residential sector and the exploitation of its flexibility, intended as the capacity of a building to shift its consumption to maximize the use of renewable energy. In the literature, the impact of flexibility has been mainly studied for the optimization of the control logic, assuming that the photovoltaic system and the electric storage have already been installed. Conversely, in this work, we adopt a different perspective that analyses the system from the designer point of view. Different scenarios with a variable degree of flexibility have been created and tested in a residential district considering various demand profiles (i.e., home appliances, heat pumps, and electric vehicles consumption). The profiles have been then used as input for an optimization tool that can design the optimal system according to a specific target function. Firstly, the system has been optimized according to economic indicators. However, results suggested that adopting only an economic perspective in the design phase could lead to results that are not in line with the European environmental targets. Thus, the system has been optimized also considering energy indicators to design a system that could give a relevant contribution to the energy transition of the residential sector. Results suggest that demand flexibility coupled with storage can boost the installation of photovoltaic systems due to the improved economic profitability and at the same time guarantee a relevant contribution to the decarbonization of the sector. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy-Flexible Buildings and Districts)
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20 pages, 6181 KiB  
Article
Smart Meter Data Analysis of a Building Cluster for Heating Load Profile Quantification and Peak Load Shifting
by Yunbo Yang, Rongling Li and Tao Huang
Energies 2020, 13(17), 4343; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13174343 - 21 Aug 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3043
Abstract
In recent years, many buildings have been fitted with smart meters, from which high-frequency energy data is available. However, extracting useful information efficiently has been imposed as a problem in utilizing these data. In this study, we analyzed district heating smart meter data [...] Read more.
In recent years, many buildings have been fitted with smart meters, from which high-frequency energy data is available. However, extracting useful information efficiently has been imposed as a problem in utilizing these data. In this study, we analyzed district heating smart meter data from 61 buildings in Copenhagen, Denmark, focused on the peak load quantification in a building cluster and a case study on load shifting. The energy consumption data were clustered into three subsets concerning seasonal variation (winter, transition season, and summer), using the agglomerative hierarchical algorithm. The representative load profile obtained from clustering analysis were categorized by their profile features on the peak. The investigation of peak load shifting potentials was then conducted by quantifying peak load concerning their load profile types, which were indicated by the absolute peak power, the peak duration, and the sharpness of the peak. A numerical model was developed for a representative building, to determine peak shaving potentials. The model was calibrated and validated using the time-series measurements of two heating seasons. The heating load profiles of the buildings were classified into five types. The buildings with the hat shape peak type were in the majority during the winter and had the highest load shifting potential in the winter and transition season. The hat shape type’s peak load accounted for 10.7% of the total heating loads in winter, and the morning peak type accounted for 12.6% of total heating loads in the transition season. The case study simulation showed that the morning peak load was reduced by about 70%, by modulating the supply water temperature setpoints based on weather compensation curves. The methods and procedures used in this study can be applied in other cases, for the data analysis of a large number of buildings and the investigation of peak loads. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy-Flexible Buildings and Districts)
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20 pages, 2629 KiB  
Article
Office Occupants’ Perspective Dealing with Energy Flexibility: A Large-Scale Survey in the Province of Bolzano
by Ilaria Vigna, Jessica Balest, Wilmer Pasut and Roberta Pernetti
Energies 2020, 13(17), 4312; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13174312 - 20 Aug 2020
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1703
Abstract
The current energy system is dealing with an increasing share of renewable energy that, because of its intermittent availability, can affect the effectiveness of the energy supply. To cope with the problem, buildings need to become energy flexible. According to the definition given [...] Read more.
The current energy system is dealing with an increasing share of renewable energy that, because of its intermittent availability, can affect the effectiveness of the energy supply. To cope with the problem, buildings need to become energy flexible. According to the definition given by IEA EBC Annex 67, energy flexibility is the ability of a building to manage its demand and generation according to local climate conditions, user needs and grid requirements. Users of energy-flexible buildings play a crucial role for an effective implementation, thus user acceptance and proper behaviour are important factors. In order to understand the current level of awareness on the topic and the general acceptance of the users, this paper presents the results of a large-scale survey distributed in the office buildings of the Province of Bolzano (Italy). This study investigates the information, experience, beliefs, and desires of the building users (i.e., office employees) with concepts and technologies dealing with energy flexibility, such as smart grids, smart appliances, and smart meters. This study identifies (i) the main socio-demographic characteristics associated to the information and desires about energy flexibility in office buildings, and (ii) the main conditions of social acceptance of flexible energy usages. Although this work is focused on a specific user type (i.e., office workers in the Province of Bolzano) and the results cannot be generalized, the analysis offers an interesting insight on the user perspectives and acceptance on energy flexibility and can be easily replicated. The results can be used at local level to provide insights for policies and strategies to encourage building users to be more flexible. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy-Flexible Buildings and Districts)
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19 pages, 2536 KiB  
Article
Control of Heat Pumps with CO2 Emission Intensity Forecasts
by Kenneth Leerbeck, Peder Bacher, Rune Grønborg Junker, Anna Tveit, Olivier Corradi, Henrik Madsen and Razgar Ebrahimy
Energies 2020, 13(11), 2851; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13112851 - 03 Jun 2020
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 3984
Abstract
An optimized heat pump control for building heating was developed for minimizing CO 2 emissions from related electrical power generation. The control is using weather and CO 2 emission forecasts as inputs to a Model Predictive Control (MPC)—a multivariate control algorithm using a [...] Read more.
An optimized heat pump control for building heating was developed for minimizing CO 2 emissions from related electrical power generation. The control is using weather and CO 2 emission forecasts as inputs to a Model Predictive Control (MPC)—a multivariate control algorithm using a dynamic process model, constraints and a cost function to be minimized. In a simulation study, the control was applied using weather and power grid conditions during a full-year period in 2017–2018 for the power bidding zone DK2 (East, Denmark). Two scenarios were studied; one with a family house and one with an office building. The buildings were dimensioned based on standards and building codes/regulations. The main results are measured as the CO 2 emission savings relative to a classical thermostatic control. Note that this only measures the gain achieved using the MPC control, that is, the energy flexibility, not the absolute savings. The results show that around 16% of savings could have been achieved during the period in well-insulated new buildings with floor heating. Further, a sensitivity analysis was carried out to evaluate the effect of various building properties, for example, level of insulation and thermal capacity. Danish building codes from 1977 and forward were used as benchmarks for insulation levels. It was shown that both insulation and thermal mass influence the achievable flexibility savings, especially for floor heating. Buildings that comply with building codes later than 1979 could provide flexibility emission savings of around 10%, while buildings that comply with earlier codes provided savings in the range of 0–5% depending on the heating system and thermal mass. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy-Flexible Buildings and Districts)
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11 pages, 2708 KiB  
Article
Exploring the Energy Flexibility of Electric Water Heaters
by Tiago Cardoso Pereira, Rui Amaral Lopes and João Martins
Energies 2020, 13(1), 46; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13010046 - 20 Dec 2019
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3483
Abstract
This paper describes a system to support the development and assessment of methodologies that explore the energy flexibility provided by electric water heaters. The proposed system follows a modular approach and allows users to share and remotely control the referred devices. The operation [...] Read more.
This paper describes a system to support the development and assessment of methodologies that explore the energy flexibility provided by electric water heaters. The proposed system follows a modular approach and allows users to share and remotely control the referred devices. The operation of this system is presented in this paper considering a case study where the energy flexibility provided by a 100 L electric water heater is used to reduce electricity costs under the Portuguese tariff context. The collected results reveal that increasing the available energy flexibility leads to larger savings. These results also show that the referred savings depend on the instant associated to hot water consumption events. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy-Flexible Buildings and Districts)
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