Mapping flexibility of urban energy systems
Various research, in the Smart Grid context, has been carried out, but not often on how Energy Flexibility (EF) can help stabilize the future energy system in buildings. For these reasons, we set out a research strategy to characterize buildings’ EF by analysing the strategies that will respond better to the need of stabilizing the future energy systems, in order to facilitate the penetration of renewable energy sources. The team will focus on studying the EF, based on:
- Time shifting ability of passive heating/cooling techniques
- Active control of HVAC systems (e.g. heat pumps, air conditioning and ventilation)
- The interaction between the building load and on-side energy production based on renewable energy
The EF will be explored for residential and office buildings, based on simulations and on existing case studies. The EF potential will be assessed based on Load Matching, calculated at different time scales. The results obtained are expected to provide important insights regarding the technical solutions, occupant behaviour, and building control strategies, which might contribute significantly to the increase of the EF of NZEBs, on a cost-efficient basis.
