Energy flexibility of buildings, achievable through demand management strategies, is a key resource in modern energy systems. It helps increase the penetration of renewable energy sources by bridging the temporal gap between demand and generation. The thermal mass of buildings can store heat, and modulating the internal setpoint temperature allows this flexibility to be exploited, benefiting grid operators who, through user participation in Demand Response (DR) programs, receive support for the grid. However, studies on the real behaviour of buildings in response to such events and on the evaluation of their flexibility potential remain limited. The main objective of this thesis is to quantify the energy flexibility potential of two case studies: a room in a recently constructed commercial building and a typical Danish single-family house. For these case studies, two models were developed using EnergyPlus and calibrated with real data, in order to analyze how energy flexibility varies depending on the building type; for the second case study, real data were collected on-site during the thesis work. Base models and models incorporating ADR events, with a changing setpoint, were compared to calculate flexibility indicators and evaluate the energy flexibility potential of both case studies, focusing solely on their thermal storage capacity. The energy flexibility of the two case studies was quantified using two main indicators: the thermal storage capacity (CADR) and the efficiency ([eta]ADR) of the ADR events relative to the reference simulation. On average during the heating season, considering events of 4 hours, the CADR for the residential case is of 0.11 kWh/m2 and the [eta]ADR is 70%, while for the commercial building the CADR is 0.16 kWh/m2 and the [eta]ADR is 50% on 24 hours time frame. An additional analysis, quantified the operational cost variation for end users when implementing some temperature setpoint variation (i.e. ADR events), based on the hourly energy price, compared to the case where the setpoint remains unchanged. The results highlight that in the case of the test room, the average cost savings in November, December, and January were 6%, 7%, and 9%, respectively while, for the single-family house savings were between 5% and 6% in November and December, and around 5% in January.
La flessibilità energetica degli edifici, ottenibile tramite strategie di gestione della domanda, rappresenta una risorsa fondamentale nei moderni sistemi energetici. Contribuisce ad aumentare la penetrazione delle fonti di energia rinnovabile, colmando il divario temporale tra domanda e generazione. La massa termica degli edifici può immagazzinare calore, e modulando la temperatura di setpoint interna è possibile sfruttare questa flessibilità, a beneficio degli operatori di rete che, attraverso la partecipazione degli utenti ai programmi di Demand Response (DR), ricevono supporto per la rete. Tuttavia, gli studi sul comportamento reale degli edifici in risposta a tali eventi e sulla valutazione del loro potenziale di flessibilità rimangono limitati. L'obiettivo principale di questa tesi è quantificare il potenziale di flessibilità energetica di due casi studio: una stanza in un edificio commerciale recentemente costruito e una tipica casa unifamiliare danese. Per questi casi studio, sono stati sviluppati due modelli utilizzando EnergyPlus, calibrati con dati reali, per analizzare come la flessibilità energetica vari a seconda del tipo di edificio; per il secondo caso studio, i dati reali sono stati raccolti sul campo durante il lavoro di tesi. Sono stati confrontati i modelli di base e i modelli che incorporano eventi ADR, con un setpoint variabile, per calcolare gli indicatori di flessibilità e valutare il potenziale di flessibilità energetica di entrambi i casi studio, concentrandosi esclusivamente sulla loro capacità di stoccaggio termico. La flessibilità energetica dei due casi studio è stata quantificata utilizzando due indicatori principali: la capacità di stoccaggio termico (CADR) e l'efficienza ([eta]ADR) degli eventi ADR rispetto alla simulazione di riferimento. I risultati medi durante la stagione di riscaldamento, considerando eventi di 4 ore, per il caso residenziale sono un CADR di 0,11 kWh/m2 e un [eta]ADR del 70%, mentre per quello commerciale sono un CADR di 0,16 kWh/m2 e un [eta]ADR del 50%, considerando 24 ore di recupero. Un'analisi aggiuntiva ha quantificato le variazioni dei costi per gli utenti finali quando viene implementata una variazione del setpoint della temperatura, in base al prezzo orario dell'energia, rispetto al caso in cui il setpoint rimane invariato. I risultati evidenziano che, nel caso della stanza di prova, i risparmi medi a novembre, dicembre e gennaio sono stati rispettivamente del 6%, 7% e 9%, mentre per la casa unifamiliare i risparmi sono stati tra il 5% e il 6% a novembre e dicembre, e circa il 5% a gennaio.
Energy flexibility quantification of space heating in danish buildings: simulation, field experiments and economic evaluation
Scorzetti, Marilena
2023/2024
Abstract
Energy flexibility of buildings, achievable through demand management strategies, is a key resource in modern energy systems. It helps increase the penetration of renewable energy sources by bridging the temporal gap between demand and generation. The thermal mass of buildings can store heat, and modulating the internal setpoint temperature allows this flexibility to be exploited, benefiting grid operators who, through user participation in Demand Response (DR) programs, receive support for the grid. However, studies on the real behaviour of buildings in response to such events and on the evaluation of their flexibility potential remain limited. The main objective of this thesis is to quantify the energy flexibility potential of two case studies: a room in a recently constructed commercial building and a typical Danish single-family house. For these case studies, two models were developed using EnergyPlus and calibrated with real data, in order to analyze how energy flexibility varies depending on the building type; for the second case study, real data were collected on-site during the thesis work. Base models and models incorporating ADR events, with a changing setpoint, were compared to calculate flexibility indicators and evaluate the energy flexibility potential of both case studies, focusing solely on their thermal storage capacity. The energy flexibility of the two case studies was quantified using two main indicators: the thermal storage capacity (CADR) and the efficiency ([eta]ADR) of the ADR events relative to the reference simulation. On average during the heating season, considering events of 4 hours, the CADR for the residential case is of 0.11 kWh/m2 and the [eta]ADR is 70%, while for the commercial building the CADR is 0.16 kWh/m2 and the [eta]ADR is 50% on 24 hours time frame. An additional analysis, quantified the operational cost variation for end users when implementing some temperature setpoint variation (i.e. ADR events), based on the hourly energy price, compared to the case where the setpoint remains unchanged. The results highlight that in the case of the test room, the average cost savings in November, December, and January were 6%, 7%, and 9%, respectively while, for the single-family house savings were between 5% and 6% in November and December, and around 5% in January.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/234669