Combined thermal and electrical optimization for the sizing of residential microgrids

Many residential building owners are confronted with difficult decisions regarding energy planning towards net zero-emission.
This paper presents a methodology to select the optimal combination of equipment and their optimal capacity to meet the electricity and heat needs of a residential microgrid comprising a pre-existing building and its electrical loads while minimizing the total cost and ensuring thermal comfort for the occupants. The methodology first identifies the thermal parameters of the building based solely on monitored temperature and heating system activation data. Then, it solves a multi-energy sizing optimization problem that allows the dynamic control of room temperatures. Each component adds a series of physical and technical constraints to the model, formulated as a mixed-integer linear program. The methodology is applied to a real Belgian house, where electrical consumption and room temperatures have been monitored. Results show that the developed methodology can efficiently characterize the thermal behavior of the building and optimally allocate resources between its rooms.