Increase of energy self-consumption in hybrid RES installations 1 with PV panels and air-source heat pumps

Abstract

In recent years, European countries have experienced a noteworthy surge in the interest surrounding renewable energy sources, particularly the integration of photovoltaic (PV) panels with various types of heat pumps. This study aims to evaluate the energy performance of a grid19 connected hybrid installation, combining a PV array with an air-source heat pump (AHP), for domestic hot water preparation in a residential building located in Cracow, Poland. The primary focus of this evaluation is to assess the extent to which self-consumption (SC) of energy can be increased. The study utilizes Transient System Simulation Tool 18 software to construct and simulate various system models under different scenarios. These scenarios include building electricity consumption profiles, PV power systems, and the specified management of AHP. Analyses were conducted over a period of 1 year to assess the operational performance of the systems. In the considered installations, the differences in SC values between PV installation ranged from 9 to 25%. Notably, the highest SC values were observed during the winter months. AHP with operation control allows to obtain in some months of the year up to 35% higher value the SC parameter compared to systems without AHP. The highest annual 29 SC value recorded reached 83.9%. These findings highlight the crucial role of selecting an appropriate PV system size to maximize the SC parameter.