Modulation strategies of integrated HVAC systems used in residential buildings for demand-side management at different scales

The integration of renewable energy sources in the electricity production mix has an important impact on the management of the electricity grid, due to their intermittency. In particular, to ensure grid balancing, there is a rising need for flexibility, both on the supply and demand sides. A possible solution to help achieve grid balancing is the smart modulation of the electrical load in a "demand following supply" scheme through demand-side management.

In this context, the objective of this doctoral thesis is to assess the amount of flexibility that can be harvested from the management of residential thermostatically-controlled loads and, in particular, through the use of heat pumps and storage. To that end, a modeling and control framework is developed to define efficient and scalable optimal load modulation strategies. The flexibility potential is investigated in different contexts: day-ahead electricity market, matching of decentralized electricity production and provision of ancillary services. Different scales are considered, from a single building to several thousand buildings.