The pilot plant is being carried out in Lisbon (Portugal), under the direction of the National Energy and Geology Laboratory (LNEG), with the support of the Lisbon Higher Technical Institute (IST), which integrates renewable heat/cold generation systems into a microgrid for the conversion of an existing public building into a zero energy balance (nZEB) building.
LNEG makes its laboratory available on the Lisbon Campus to test renewable energy integration facilities.
The pilot plant is powered by a 4 kWp photovoltaic system and a 2.5 kW wind turbine and a 30 kWh battery storage system, all integrated in a solar trigeneration system that provides electricity to feed a microgrid.
Thermal comfort energy is provided by a solar hot water installation (DHW) with 4m2 evacuated tube solar collectors and a 300-litre water storage tank coupled to a 16kW power air/water heat pump associated with a 1,000 liter inertial water storage tank to individually heat and cool the meeting rooms of the pilot plant through 4 fan coils.
This aim of this pilot will be especially interested in monitoring and modeling renewable generation power ramp rates and their impact on:
- The voltage and quality of energy inside buildings.
- The lifetime of batteries (and similarly with variable loads in fuel cells) to characterize their potential contribution as units of power system flexibility for very high renewable penetration scenarios.
- The potential value to operate in the reserve (secondary) electricity markets. A particular study is carried out to characterize the value that buildings can have as "shock absorbers for an energy system with a very high share of renewable energies".
- The improvement of the energy performance of the building by installing the planned air conditioning and heating systems.