Beoordelen van volledig geïntegreerde, optimaal aangestuurde, multi-vector energiegemeenschappen

Our energy system is changing heavily. In an effort towards decarbonization, we need to move away from using unabated fossil fuels in electricity generation, heating/cooling and transport. In our future energy system, local generation will play an increasingly important role, as well as locally deployed flexibility and inter-energy-carrier conversion and storage. Having in place such a system, and being able to operate it in an efficient manner obviously poses technical challenges. This PhD focuses on Energy Positive Districts (EPDs). A district can be considered as a neighbourhood integrated in an urban and regional energy system (electricity and gas distribution feeder level), including a number of residential buildings, but also e.g., schools, hospitals or a swimming pool (i.e., residential and tertiary sector is included, heavy industry is excluded). The demand for energy services in a district is considered, in terms of thermal comfort, appliances and transport. EPDs can significantly reduce CO2 emissions in the urban sector. To unleash the EPDs' potential, however, several barriers and challenges need to be addressed that cut across political, regulatory, economic, social, and technological dimensions. Specifically, one of the main barriers to development of EPDs is the lack of modelling approaches serving as decision support for planning and operation of EPDs. The aim of this project is to develop novel tools that contribute towards identifying future-proof, feasible, effective and economical solutions, focusing both on system lay-out and operation/control. A solution is a 'workable' concept with all its (inter)connections that answers the questions where (in the system), when and how the required energy conversions have to be done. The energy provision is considered in a multi-vector setting, including electricity, heat and (synthetic) gas/fuels, delivering energy services in terms of appliances, thermal comfort and transport. The goal of these novel tools is not per se striving for a single optimal solution, but rather seek to identify realistic/achievable options towards effective decarbonization and the transition to EPDs, thereby accounting for existing boundary conditions (e.g., taking existing networks as given, as a constraint). This PhD starts from the thermal systems and integrates these in a multi-vector system in interaction with three parallel PhDs in the same project. In order to contribute to these novel tools, this PhD will look at the development of novel models for energy conversion and thermal energy storage in an integrated energy system and at the development of system concepts, including advanced control strategies, accounting for operation under uncertainty and with optimal use of data. In interaction with the other energy vectors and a proper incentive framework, focusing on pricing of energy services and the regulatory context, both developed in parallel PhDs, integrated concepts will be identified and demonstrated on use cases, with full integration of the demand side and increased R2ES (renewable and residual energy sources) share. All of the required intermediate steps will first consider small districts, i.e. tiny clusters of two and three buildings, before being upscaled to larger and more realistic districts.