A demand-response method to balance electric power-grids via HVAC systems using active energy-storage: simulation and on-site experiment

With the increasing popularity of renewable energy sources and the globally increasing electricity demand, the task of balancing the intermittent energy supply with varying demand becomes increasingly difficult. Instead of adjusting the supply, improving the demand response (DR) can be a more efficient way to optimize power balance. HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning) systems, which operate on the demand side of power-grids, have a huge potential to improve the power balance. To assess their potential in a variable air volume (VAV) air-conditioning system with energy storage tank we introduce a demand response method that combines active cool-energy storage (ACES) with global temperature adjustment (GTA). To confirm the effectiveness of this combined ACES+GTA approach, we conduct measurements with the help of a full-scale VAV air-conditioning test setup. The experimental results are compared with a TRNSYS simulation. The measurements indicate that an energy-storing water-tank can effectively reduce the number of starts and stops for the heat pump. The simulation confirms that the ACES+GTA method can also effectively reduce the peak load of the power grid with little impact on the thermal comfort of the energy consumers. The cost-saving rate, compared to the conventional operating mode (no energy-storage during other periods), reaches 7.02% for an entire cooling season if the GTA method (with DR) is used