Colloquia

Summary

This master's thesis introduces a method for analyzing the impact of integrating renewable energy production and storage technologies into commercial office buildings. The Zilverling building at the University of Twente serves as a case study, focusing on optimizing self-sufficiency while ensuring economic feasibility. Historical data on heating and electricity demand form the basis for incorporating renewable energy production and storage solutions. The versatile approach can be adapted at various stages to meet the specific needs of similar buildings seeking implementation solutions. The method offers insights into what can be achieved, addressing challenges such as limited data availability and data resolution. It utilizes a linear least-squares solver implemented in MATLAB. The building is represented as a block within the model, with the outer facade's surface area being a critical parameter. The impact of integrating insulation, solar panels, heat and electrical storage, and technologies like heat pumps is evaluated, proposing a combination of these technologies for advanced solutions with high self-sustainability. Economic feasibility is assessed through a multi-criteria analysis, resulting in Pareto front plots that consider self-sufficiency and self-consumption against investment costs. The payback time for the proposed solutions is also calculated. Additionally, the method allows for the evaluation of energy demand reduction and the determination of the degree of self-sufficiency. In conclusion, this method, as presented in the thesis, can be applied to other cases and buildings, contributing to the transition from centralized to decentralized energy production and the development of smart grids by transforming buildings from passive consumers into active energy participants.