Energy-flexible Buildings

and Flexibility Services

Dr. Hangxin LI
Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Email: hangxin.li@polyu.edu.hk
Content
1. Brief Introduction of Energy-flexible Buildings
2. Flexibility Services Offered by Buildings
3. Sources, Characteristics and Capabilities of Building
Energy Flexibility
3.1 Building on-site generations
3.2 Energy storage systems
3.3 HVAC systems
3.4 Dimmable lighting systems
3.5 Postponable electrical appliances
4. Interaction between Buildings and Smart Grid
 Brief Introduction of
Energy-flexible Buildings
To Be Grid-Friendly and Energy-Flexible Buildings
Important features of buildings concerned today:
• Energy efficient buildings,
• Green buildings,
• Sustainable buildings
• Intelligent buildings or smart buildings

Another important feature should be concerned for buildings in the near future:
Grid-Friendly and Energy-Flexible Buildings
o To optimize the overall efficiency and reliability of the grid-building
ecosystem for the benefits of smart power grids and buildings
o Be grid-friendly: work in synergy with power grids and avoid putting additional
stress on the balance of power grids;
o Be energy-flexible/grid-responsive: work in synergy with smart grids in real-
time and contribute to the balance and reliability of smart grids。
 Energy-Flexible Buildings
Also known as: Grid-Responsive/Grid-Interactive Buildings
Definition: buildings which can reduce the power use without unacceptable
compromise on services when the power grid is short of power supply, and
store energy when there is surplus power supply.
1000
Power consumption (kW)

750
Energy
500
flexibility
Energy
250
efficiency
0
1 5 9 13 17 21
Time (h)
 Key Features of Future Buildings

Energy-
flexible
Building
Green and
Smart
Energy-efficient
Building Building

6
Ways in Which Energy-flexible Buildings Can Contribute
to Grid Power balancing

Load covering: the long-term load reduction, making the building act as a “prosumer” in the connected power grid.
Load shifting: shifting the loads of building from peak time to valley time over hours.
Load shedding: fast load curtailment in response to an urgent request from a power grid.
Moderate regulation: load regulation within minutes, slower than fast regulation.
Fast regulation: the bidirectional load regulation of buildings within seconds in response to power grids.
 Flexibility Services
Offered by Buildings
Overview of flexibility services that can be
provided by buildings

Requirements on different flexibility services

Principle of Price-based Programs
Electricity pricing is the essential incentive to encourage
demand responses
Price Demand Curve Final Demand Initial Demand Supply Curve
($/KWh)

Resulting Price

Resulting Demand Demand (KW)

Supply Curve: electricity price Increases when demand increases
Demand Curve: demand decreases when electricity price increases
[Source: Fred C. Schweppe et al., 1988] Dynamic Pricing in a Certain Time Interval
 Objective of the Interaction under Price-based Programs
Illustration of load profile alteration under incentive prices

Overall energy efficiency of

Capacity & Load Profile

smart grid can be improved by

smart grid power capacity approaching overall balance of
smart grid optimal operation profile power supply and demand
end-users load profile at price α , β
sides.

Time (24 hr.)

adjust electricity price

from α , β to α′ , β′
Operation cost savings of
end-users can also be
achieved and benefit in the form
Capacity & Load Profile

of electricity price tariffs.

smart grid power capacity

smart grid optimal operation profile

end-users load profile at price α′ , β′

Time (24 hr.)

Typical Examples of Price-based Programs

• TOU employs a static price schedule.

The prices and time periods are
normally informed at least one year
ahead.
• CPP rate is usually used during
contingencies. The total CPP time in a
year is usually limited to days or hours.
Normally informed only a day ahead.
• RTP is the most sophisticated type of
price-based DR. End-users are
charged with varying prices which is
typically informed on a day-ahead or
hour-ahead basis.
Comparison between Price-based Programs

High
RTP

CPP
Reward

TOU

Low High

Risk

13
 Need of Incentive-base Programs

• When supply exceeds demand, the electric grid frequency increases and vice versa. The
frequency should be maintained within statutory and operational limits (e.g., 50±0.1Hz)
to ensure grid stability. (frequency regulation)
• When a generator goes down or there is another disruption to the supply, some flexibility
resources (e.g., extra generating capacity of generators that are already connected to grid)
should be available to respond within a short time to meet demand. (Spinning reserve)
Typical Examples of Incentive-base Programs
• The balancing authorities issue the
AGC (Automatic Generation Control)
signal, which represents the magnitude
of power imbalance between supply
side and demand side.
• If system frequency falls below the
target value (50 Hz), a RegUp signal
will be issued. Conversely, if system
frequency increases above the target
value, a Reg-down signal will be issued.
• Both supply side and demand side can
receive, process and respond to the
AGC signals for providing frequency
regulation.
• The reserve signal is issued not very
frequently.
Sources, Characteristics and Capabilities
of Building Energy Flexibility
Energy Flexibility Sources in Buildings
Building On-site Generations
- Building integrated renewable generations

Typical building integrated renewable generations

• Characteristics: uncontrollable
• Flexibility type: load covering
• Control mechanism: usually coupled with load management,
thermal storage, and electrical storage.
Building On-site Generations
- Building integrated CHP/CCHP

• Characteristics: controllable,
can respond within seconds or
minutes
• Flexibility type: load covering,
load shedding, moderate
regulation, fast regulation.
• Control mechanism: adjust the
pressure regulators (reduction
valves) of the turbine steam
bypass.
 Energy Storage Systems
Energy Storage Methods

Mechanical Magnetic Chemical Biological Thermal

energy storage storage energy storage storage energy storage

Hydro- Compressed Fly- Electrochem- Organic mol- Sensible Latent

storage air storage wheels ical batteries ecular storage heat storage heat storage

➢ Battery energy storage can provide all the five types of flexibility.
➢ Thermal energy storage (TES) is an effective energy
management technology that has attracted increasing interest by
building professionals for load management. But it can not
provide fast regulation.
 Means of Thermal Storage in Buildings
• Centralized Thermal Energy Storage
Involving one/more major storage devices (e.g. tanks)
which usually are of big volume, such as ice storage, etc.
• Decentralized Thermal Energy Storage
Opposite to centralized systems, cold/heat are stored in
various small storage devices distributed in buildings.
• Use of Building Thermal Mass and Building Structures (Integrated
with Phase Change Materials)
Building itself used as a thermal energy storage;
PCM integrated with building structures to increase
building thermal mass/performance.
Centralized Thermal Storage - The Features
Operation Principles:
▪ Charging storage unit at night during off-peak hours;
▪ Discharge stored cold in daytime during peak period.
Savings due to:
▪ Reduced on-peak demand usage;
▪ Improved equipment performance.
Advantages:
• No direct comfort constraints;
• Constant storage efficiency;
• Great storage capability.
Limitations
• High initial cost;
• Large installation space needed.
 Centralized Thermal Storage
Example A – Integrated with Air-Systems

W
Occupied
AHU
W
zones
W W
W

Heat pipes

Storage tank

Chillers Cooling towers

Decentralized Thermal Storage
Example B – Ceiling-Mounted PCM

Charging by free- Discharging in

cooling at night daytime
 Load Management - Building Thermal Mass
Building
Operation Principles:
▪ Pre-cool at night during off-peak hours;
▪ Adjust daytime set-points to control
discharge;
▪ Cooled structure reduces on-peak cooling Air
Handling
loads. Unit

Energy saving is achieved due to:

• Reduced on-peak energy and demand Cooling Plant
usage;
Evaporators
• Improved equipment performance; Condensers

• Night ventilation.
 Load Management
– Building Integrated with Phase Change Materials
PCM
➢ To enhance storage capability of Building
buildings, phase change material (PCM)
is being considered in recent years.
➢ Phase change materials have the ability
to provide high energy storage density Air
and can store thermal energy at a Handling

relatively constant temperature. Unit

H (kJ/kg)

Heating Phase Heating

Process change Process
(Solid) process (Liquid) Cooling Plant

Evaporators

Condensers
Pure substances
Realistic
Ideal

ε ε
T (°C )
Tm
HVAC Systems

• Characteristics: may affect indoor thermal comfort

• Flexibility type: load shifting, load shedding, moderate regulation,
fast regulation.
• Control mechanism: precooling (load shifting), shut down part of
operating chillers (load shedding), reset thermostat (moderate
regulation), adjust frequency of pumps (fast regulation), etc.
 Dimmable Lighting Systems

• Characteristics: affect the

indoor illumination level
• Flexibility type: load
shedding, moderate regulation,
fast regulation
• Control mechanism: regulate
fluorescent ballasts using
analog or digital controls

Power and light characteristic for a

modern fluorescent dimming ballast
Postponable Electrical Appliances

Typical postponable electrical appliances in buildings

• Characteristics: require the change of user behaviour

• Flexibility type: load shifting
• Control mechanism: reschedule the operating time.
 Interaction between
Buildings and Smart Grid
Interaction between Buildings and Smart Grid

Power Supply and Demand (MW)

Power Demand Power Surplus
Power Supply

Power Surplus
Power Surplus
Power Shortage

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Time (hours)
 “One-way” Operation of Conventional Power Grid
Power Flow
(transmission & distribution)
Power Supply Power Demand

“One-way” approach: Operation

Online online but
Communication with outdated information.
Buildings cannot help relieve power
Offline
imbalance timely using demand response.

Power Stations Building Sectors

Information Flow
(monthly bill)
 “Two-way” Operation of Smart
Power Flow
Grid
(distributed generation)
Power Supply Power Demand
Renewable
Generations

Online

Online

Power Stations Building Sectors

Information Flow
(information & communication technologies)

“Two-way” approach CAN help smart grid achieve a better

overall performance of all participants when integrated with
distributed generation and storage.
 Illustration of the interactive Concept
WEATHER DATA BUILDINGS LOAD PREDICTION BUILDING LOAD
AGGREGATION

DYNAMIC PRICING

INTERNAL GAIN

OPTIMAL
SETTING Smart Grids

HVAC SYSTEMS OPTIMAL CONTROL

STRATEGIES
 Possibility of the Interaction Establishment
Integrated with smart meters and grid information management and
control centre, BASs can provide valuable information (e.g. energy
demand characteristics) for grid optimization.

The integration of smart metering system with BAS

 Interactive Building Power Demand
Management Strategy
Building- Smart Grid Information Management
and Control Center
Smart Grid (Online Process)
Interaction Altered Building r′
Grid Dynamic
Power Demand Pi′
Predictor ∑ Pricing Setting
Building Power
r
Demand
Building Power
Intelligent Field Devices Management
Alteration
Estimation
Indices Pi
Building Power
Other Other
Demand Alteration Building Power Building Optimal Power
Buildings Potential Buildings
Demand Predictor Demand Control
Characterization

Building Automation System

(Offline Process) (Online Process)

Pi: the reference power demand prediction of the ith building r: the finalized electricity prices
Pi′: the altered power demand prediction of the ith building r′: the trial electricity prices