CH-24-C060 - Dynamic Study of the Influence of Building Parameters on the Self-Consumption of Solar Power

The European Union has set a goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050, as outlined in the European Green Deal. To achieve this ambition, an increase in renewable energy production and a comprehensive renovation of the old building stock is needed. Distributed generation, specifically small-scale photovoltaic installations on residential rooftops, is expected to play a significant role in this transition. This form of energy production inherently implies a mismatch between electricity consumption and solar power production. Maximizing on-site consumption of the generated solar power has ecological and economic advantages as well as benefits for the grid stability. Current research primarily focuses on improving this self-consumption through control strategies and storage techniques. This research aims to investigate the influence of the building parameters on the self-consumption and self-sufficiency of solar power. By simulating different scenarios in the software Dymola, the impact of the insulation level, heating schedule and heat emission system is assessed. The results are evaluated using self-consumption, self-sufficiency and the amount of electricity from the grid as indicators. In addition, a thermal comfort analysis and an economic assessment are conducted. Results show that the occupancy schedule is the most critical of the evaluated parameters, insulation level and temperature regime do not have a significant impact on the self-consumption. Using a continuous heating regime increases the self-consumption. High self-consumption rates usually does not appear to correspond with a lower environmental or economical impact. Conversely, the self-sufficiency emerges as a more representative indicator, capturing both ecological and economic conditions.