FINN D. P.

The ongoing decarbonisation process of the current energy system, driven by the EU directives, requires that more renewable energy sources are integrated in the global energy mix, as well as policies promoting investments in new low-carbon technologies, energy efficiency and grid infrastructure. The technical integration of renewable energy...

Hybrid electric-gas heat pump systems are a possible retrofit option in older residential buildings. Older buildings can be challenging to retrofit and in this context hybrid systems can offer an intermediate route to decarbonisation of building heating energy demand. This is especially the case, where deep retrofit measures coupled with...

Air to water electric heat pumps are one technological solution to achieve energy defossilisation goals for heating of residential building stock. Nevertheless, they may not necessarily be the only solution for all residential building stock. A case in point is where extensive fabric refurbishment is impracticable or where electric heat pumps...

The use of on-site generation can significantly enhance the primary energy savings of a building while acting as a hedge against rising electricity prices. Among other techniques, combined heat and power systems have proved to be reliable and economically suitable technologies in building applications and provision for their promotion has been...

The present paper investigates the energy savings associated with the implementation of retrofitting measures on Irish residential buildings. A detached residential dwelling, representative of approximately 40% of the residential stock in Ireland, was selected as experimental test bed. The building was progressively retrofitted to an...

Fan coil units are widely used in air-conditioning systems for heating and cooling of commercial buildings. Control - capable of achieving better operational efficiencies and at the same time, guarantying thermal comfort - is paramount in order to achieve optimal operation. The present paper presents a novel generalised control strategy,...

The aim of the present paper is to investigate the influence of electricity tariffs on energy flexibility in buildings and associated energy costs. A residential building located in Stuttgart, Germany, equipped with a hybrid heat pump which is coupled with a thermal energy storage unit and a gas boiler is used as a case study. A model...

The aim of the proposed work is to investigate the technical and economic suitability of a gas turbine combined heat and power system in commercial buildings. These systems are widely recognised as a promising technology to provide significant fuel savings and carbon emissions reduction where they have been widely used in industrial settings...

This paper assesses the performance of control algorithms for the implementation of demand response strategies in the residential sector. A typical house, representing the most common building category in Ireland, was fully instrumented and utilised as a test-bed. A calibrated building simulation model was developed and used to assess the...

Managing supply and demand in the electricity grid is becoming more challenging due to the increasing penetration of variable renewable energy sources. As significant end-use consumers, and through better grid integration, buildings are expected to play an expanding role in the future smart grid. Predictive control allows buildings to better...

Energy security assessment quantifies the energy supply to a population and the likelihood, or risk, of an energy disruption or shortage and represents an important aspect of national security, economic stability and prosperity. The quantification of the state of energy supply is context-dependent and involves multiple perspectives:...

The ability to control and optimise energy consumption at end-user level is of increasing interest as a means to achieve a balance between supply and demand, particularly when large penetration of distributed renewable energy sources is being considered. Demand Response programs consist of a series of externally-driven control strategies aimed...

The present paper introduces an iterative methodology to progressively reduce building simulation model complexity with the aim of identifying potential trade-offs between computational requirements (i.e., model complexity) and energy estimation accuracy. Different levels of model complexity are analysed, from commercial building energy...

Buildings are increasingly being seen as a potential source of energy flexibility to the smart grid as a form of demand side management. Indicators are required to quantify the energy flexibility available from buildings, enabling a basis for a contractual framework between the relevant stakeholders such as end users, aggregators and grid...

The increasing share of renewable energy sources in the power industry poses challenges for grid management due to the stochastic nature of their production. Besides the traditional supply-side regulation, grid flexibility can also be provided by the demand side. Demand-Response is an attractive approach based on adapting user demand profiles...