Economic and environmental aspects of the component sizing for a stand-alone building energy system: A case study

When designing a building energy system based on renewable energy sources, a major challenge is the suitable sizing of its components. In this paper, a simulation tool is presented for determining the optimal sizes of the main components of a stand-alone building energy system which integrates both thermal and electric renewable energy sources. Since the control of this multisource energy system is a non-trivial, multivariable control problem, particular emphasis is placed on the energy management system. A control structure based on model predictive control is proposed, whereas the underlying optimal control problem is formulated as a mixed-integer linear programming problem.The simulation tool developed is successfully applied on the specific case of an alpine lodge. A set of potential configurations, each being optimal with respect to both the net present costs and the global warming potential, is generated by analyzing the system for various component sizes. Out of this set, the decision makers can choose the most cost efficient configuration fulfilling their specifications.

► Stand-alone energy system integrating both thermal and electric renewable energy sources.
► Multisource energy system is controlled by a model predictive controller.
► The energy management problem is formulated as a mixed-integer linear program.
► Optimal sizing of the system components with respect to multiple objectives.