Description
The project is focused on the development of technologies and tools to strengthen the deployment of distributed generation solutions with photovoltaic sources, and incorporating building HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) demand management, including thermal energy storage systems, for estimating and managing building energy demand. Buildings are strongly conditioned by the constructive aspects, the weather, their users, etc. All these factors will be considered in the development of a decision support tool that will monitor in real time the building user’s demand profiles and will have a reliable photovoltaic generation forecast in order to assist the Facility/Building Manager in the optimization of the HVAC operation and maintenance. The project will integrate the most cost‐effective generation technologies and new HVAC schemes of energy demand. This will be deployed using expert auto-learning and forecasting systems with available management and storage tools.The development project will be conducted by a multidisciplinary consortium between EMTE and DEXMA ENERGY MANAGEMENT, and will draw on the experience and know-how of relevant external partners in the market, both nationally and internationally:
Summary of project results
Photovoltaic technology is demonstrating global competitiveness by reaching grid parity in many areas of the globe due to the reduction of PV costs in a massive scale, both in the industrial and domestic sectors. To build on the increased importance of PV technology, the MIDNATTSSOL project focused on the development of technologies and tools to strengthen the deployment of the distributed generation solutions with PV sources, and incorporating building HVAC demand management. Based on the intensive use of ICT technologies, the ‘user–friendly’ MIDNATTSSOL solution (Software as a Service in the cloud) was designed to facilitate the acceptance of the end-user and increases market shares.The outcome of this project is an app that integrates PV generation and energy consumption in a single global energy management system, predicts expected generation from the PV system, with weather conditions included in the forecast analysis and energy demand.
Summary of bilateral results
A crucial component of the MIDNATTSSOL project was the integration of the most appropriate heating pump in the existing HVAC systems. For that purpose, the project required access to existing HVAC systems. This task was subcontracted to the Company ENOCO through the cluster ARENA SMART GRIDS located in Norway. ENOCO has developed a document related to“Photovoltaic Surplus Management”. In the document, named “Technical feasibility study‐accessing and overwriting commands in existing HVAC systems”, ENOCO has made a theoretical viability study of the possibilities and problems related to access in a Building Management Controllers (BMC) in several field bus devices (BACNet, ModBus, KNX, Profibus, and OPC). Among several ways to communicate, COMSA has chosen the OPC protocol through an existing SCADA system in the same building. This way allows controlling the HVAC system with all the guaranties to operate without losing security in the facility. The cooperation with ENOCO has been successful therefore both companies (ENOCO & COMSA INDUSTRIAL) may participate together in future projects although no particular plans have been yet considered.