The promotion of individual and collective self-consumption of energy from renewable sources, the use of the electric carrier for the efficient supply of domestic thermal consumption with reduction of local emissions, electric mobility, and the possible supply of energy and services to the grid are the key elements of the new management aimed at achieving tangible benefits for both the user and the grid.
The project is aimed at promoting greater use of the electric carrier and testing the application of innovative methods in its management to reduce energy consumption and environmental impact, primarily in the residential sector. With the aim of fostering new ways of energy use, the project pursues the promotion of energy efficiency through the adoption of intelligent consumption optimization systems and the improvement of high-temperature ejector heat pump technology to produce heat for heating and DHW service.
For the promotion of energy efficiency, the activities carried out and referred to in this report have led to:
• the completion of the SEM (Smart Energy Manager) system, tested in RSE’s EffE “all electric” Laboratory, with transfer to a dedicated platform.
• the implementation of the MODENA (MODello ENergetico Abitazioni – Home Energy Model) analysis model, which enables rapid estimation of the effects of interventions on individual case study or future efficiency, and retrofit scenarios on a national scale – including, for example, the possible effects of the extended application of SEM-type systems.
• the completion of a collective self-consumption scheme that promotes energy sharing, with simulated field validation of its evolved functions as defined in the second year of the project. Based on a set of realistic assumptions, simulations have shown how this type of scheme is capable of increasing collective shared energy resulting in increased economic benefits for users. Through the facilities in the EVOlved PRosumer Laboratory (PREVO), the user-side feasibility of managing this type of scheme was verified.
• the completion and internet availability of the AIACE (Integrated Activities for Comfortable and Efficient Dwellings) interactive media, providing detailed information on energy efficiency issues in residential buildings via virtual navigation in a 3D building and explanatory videos.
For the topic of heat pumps, the activities carried out and referred to in this report led to the following:
• the creation of a prototype ejector whose performance was experimentally verified in a special test facility. Comparison between the experimental results and the outcomes of simulations produced with the previously developed two-dimensional (2D) CFD model highlights how the latter can be used as a useful tool for the purposes of ejector design and regulation.
• the development of the SIRECO (Refrigeration Ejector Compressor Systems) simulation model to evaluate the possible benefits of applying ejector heat pumps. The model was validated on literature data by simulating the temperatures of conventional heating systems. Using propane as the refrigerant, the results show that the ejector heat pump scheme performs better than that of standard heat pumps; moreover, higher useful temperatures can be achieved for the same COP. The performance data obtained from the model were used to estimate possible impacts on residential consumption in different contexts.