Leveraging TRNSYS simulations of a single family house in Spain for renewable energy integration

A dynamic model was developed in TRNSYS® software package to simulate the thermal behavior of a single family house in Spain during a year. The model takes into consideration the characteristics of the building (orientation, insulation, thermal zones, etc.), heating and cooling devices, weather conditions and electric grid usage. Additionally, the model incorporates occupancy profiles, lighting, heat producing devices and infiltration to estimate thermal loads and photovoltaic production. So, with the utilization of the model, a characterization of the thermal and photovoltaic systems is accomplished, which can be used for the assessment of potential coupling with individual models of thermal energy storage solutions and comparison of cases with and without storage. As a result, the investigation of load shift strategies together with the exploitation of the photovoltaic energy source, will be feasible if the required input becomes available. According to the model, the annual thermal demands are 1618 kWh for space heating, 2358 kWh for space cooling and 1671 kWh for domestic hot water. The total electricity consumption of the heat pump and all circulating pumps is 1273 kWh, while the photovoltaic array produces 6512 kWh per year.