A new study demonstrates how buildings can coordinate heating and cooling systems, electric vehicle charging and solar generation to support a more flexible and renewable electricity system, without compromising occupants’ comfort or charging needs.

Buildings can play an increasingly important role in balancing electricity systems with high shares of renewable energy. Researchers from IREC have developed a methodology to assess and coordinate the flexibility potential of buildings, combining different energy resources while accounting for real operational constraints.

The study has recently been published in Energy and Buildings, entitled “Sequential aggregation of building demand flexibility: An occupancy- and service-aware framework” (access the full paper). The IREC researchers involved in the work are Sergi Sanchez, Eduardo J. Salazar, Alejandro Fernandez-Benages, Lucia Igualada y Josh Eichman from the Energy Systems Analytics department.

The study presents an innovative methodology for coordinating HVAC systems, electric vehicle charging and photovoltaic generation, while taking into account occupant comfort and energy service requirements. The approach was demonstrated at a public community centre in Viladecans (Barcelona), equipped with a 15 kWp rooftop solar installation, a centralised HVAC system and four electric vehicle chargers. The results showed a 10% reduction in heating energy consumption by the HVAC system, while accounting for occupancy patterns and maintaining indoor comfort. In addition, the methodology improved EV charging management by better integrating photovoltaic generation and adaptive control strategies. Overall, the findings highlight the potential of buildings to deliver reliable and efficient flexibility services, actively supporting renewable energy integration and the transition towards a more flexible electricity system.

The results demonstrate IREC’s capacity to develop data-driven methodologies and intelligent energy management strategies that coordinate distributed energy resources at building level. These capabilities can help unlock demand-side flexibility, improve the use of locally generated renewable electricity and support the development of more flexible and efficient energy systems.

The results are related to the NETBUILD and MELIXA projects, both funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU, within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan by the Spanish Government, through the grant program for new business models in the energy transition, managed by the IDAE.