Energy Management Strategies assessment, for a Heat Pump-PV-Battery Storage System in a Sport Center through dynamic thermal-electrical system simulation analysis

Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are considered as one of the most promising technological options towards high self-sufficiency and for a main grid independent energy system. At the same time, BESS are essential components for a cost-optimized operation of grid-connected microgrids. In addition, the ever-increasing trend of replacement of conventional heating systems with electrically driven heat pumps reveals the continuously emerging trend for electrification of the heating systems, to be supported though by electrical storage systems. In this study, a sport centre facility located in Barcelona, that includes a solar PV installation, a battery storage system and a heat pump, is investigated as an integrated solution for covering its own needs (self-consumption) with a dynamic simulation platform. Targeting the best compromise between self-sufficiency and reduction in the cost of electricity, two different energy management strategies are examined for the supervision and control of the microgrid operation, taking into account the impact of the already operating HVAC systems (i.e. ventilation and Air Handling Unit) along with the heat pump operation. These operational strategies concern 1) peak shaving with off-peak grid power and 2) pricing-based operation of the BESS, according to the main grid electricity price. Under this scope, an integrated thermal and electrical dynamic model of the sport centre energy system is developed in APROS software. A detailed heat pump model was developed, the results of which are benchmarked against the corresponding ones from the standard model in TRNSYS. The impact of each management strategy is assessed in terms of the resulting power flows and the associated cost of electricity, for each operational strategy mode. Based on the simulation results, the most advantageous energy management algorithm is determined for each case study, revealing the integrated thermal-electrical dynamic simulation as a useful tool for adaptive energy management operation.