Enforcing Annual Emission Constraints in Short-Term Operation of Local Energy Systems

TL;DR

This paper develops and compares operational strategies for neighborhood energy systems to ensure net zero emissions over their lifetime, emphasizing the importance of realistic operation methods in system design.

Contribution

It introduces a new optimization model for designing zero emission neighborhoods and evaluates various control strategies to meet emission constraints effectively.

Findings

RH-MPC achieves near-optimal cost and emission balance.

Passive PV effects can suffice for net zero in high PV scenarios.

Emission-specific control strategies are necessary when PV is limited.

Abstract

This paper presents new methods for ensuring that the energy system of a neighborhood that is designed with the objective of being zero emission is actually operated in a way that allows it to reach net zero emissions in its lifetime. This paper highlights the necessity of taking into account realistic operation strategies when designing the energy system of such neighborhoods. It also suggests methods that can be used in the operation of ZENs to ensure carbon neutrality. An optimization model for designing the energy system of a Zero Emission Neighborhood (ZEN) is first presented and used to produce two designs for a campus in the South of Norway in the case where the amount of PV is limited (PVlim) and when it is not (Base). Several operation approaches are then introduced to compare their operation cost and the CO2 emissions and compensations. These approaches are perfect foresight used as a reference (Ref.),a purely economic model predictive control (E-MPC), an MPC with penalization if deviating from emission targets (EmE-MPC)and a receding horizon MPC where we have a net zero emission constraint over the year (RH-MPC). The resulting energy systems are, in the Base case, PV, heat pumps, a gas boiler and heat storage and, in the PVlim case, a smaller amount of PV, a CHP plant, and heat storage. In the Base case all operation strategies manage to reach net zero emissions, largely due to the passive compensations obtained from the PV. RH-MPC offers the lowest cost. In the PVlim case, the passive effect of the PV is not sufficient to reach net zero emissions and an operation approach specifically taking into account the emissions is necessary. EmE-MPC achieves the lowest emissions but it comes at a much higher cost. We conclude that the best overall strategy is RH-MPC which maintains both the cost and the emission-compensation balance close to the reference case with perfect foresight.