Biomimetic Integrated Community Energy and Power System (BICEPS)

 

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Building Technologies Office (BTO)

via Katy Hinkelman’s IBUILD Graduate Research Fellowship

Project Description

Human industrial societies today require over 70 times more energy per day than natural ecosystems, and all the while our societies are draining and polluting the invaluable life services that the natural world provides. Further, our societies are experiencing frequent power outages due to human threats (e.g. cyber-attacks) and natural disasters (e.g. wildfires, hurricanes), causing serious losses in property, economics, and life. The Biomimetic Integrated Community Energy and Power System (BICEPS) is a holistic innovative community energy system that integrates multiple renewable energy resources (solar electricity, hot/cold water, biofuel) to create sustainable and resilient energy networks. Energy resources in BICEPS are diverse, distributed, and life-friendly, mimicking mature natural ecosystems like a old growth forest. The BICEPS’s design and operational schemes are tested using the cutting-edge computer modeling and simulation language Modelica, which is the Department of Energy’s next-generation platform for building and community energy modeling.

Collaborator

Open Source Models

  • Modelica Sand Heating Package (v0.1): A Modelica model package for silica-sand thermal energy storge applications in building and district heating systems
  • BICEPS Modelica Library (v0.1): A Modelica library for modeling heterogenous community energy systems — involving thermo-fluid, electrical, and biofuel systems — and their controls, within sub-package Buildings/Experimental/DHC
  • Modelica Buildings Library commit #ee9000f (staged for next official release): 10 ready-to-use models + several base classes for steam-based district heating systems and additional flexible base classes

Journal Articles

Conference Papers

  • (Under Review) K. Hinkelman, D. Milner, W. Zuo. “Open-Source Models for Sand-Based Thermal Energy Storage in Heating Applications.” Proceedings of the 15th International Modelica Conference, Aachen, Germany, October 9-11, 2023.
  • (Under Revision) K. Hinkelman, S. Anbarasu, W. Zuo. “Ecological Network Analysis of Integrated Energy Systems with Modelica: A Novel Biomimetic Approach for Building Design and Operation.” Proceedings of the Building Simulation Conference. Shanghai, China, September 4-6, 2023.
  • K. Hinkelman, W. Zuo, J. Wang, S. Huang, M. Wetter. 2022. “Ecosystem-Level Biomimicry for the Built Environment: Adopting Systems Ecology Principles for the Control of Heterogeneous Energy Systems.” Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Building Energy and Environment. Montreal, Canada, July 25-29, 2022.
  • K. Hinkelman, S. Anbarasu, M. Wetter, A. Gautier, B. Ravache, W. Zuo. 2022. “Towards Open-Source Modelica Models For Steam-Based District Heating Systems.” Proceedings of the 1st International Workshop On Open Source Modelling And Simulation Of Energy Systems (OSMSES 2022), Aachen, German, April 4-5, 2022.

Presentations and Invited Talks

  • K. Hinkelman. “Equation-Based Modeling and Ecosystem Biomimicry of Integrated Building Energy Systems.” Research Seminar, Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, Drexel University, May 26, 2023.
  • K. Hinkelman. “Modelica Modeling and Ecosystem Biomimicry of District Energy Systems.” Doctoral Defense, Department of Architectural Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, May 24, 2023.
  • K. Hinkelman. “BICEPS – Biomimetic Integrated Community Energy and Power Systems.” Department of Energy Building Technologies Office (BTO) Peer Review, Arlington, VA, April 24-28, 2023.
  • K. Hinkelman. “Advancements in Multidomain Modeling and System-Level Biomimicry for the Comprehensive Design of District Energy Systems.” Research Seminar, Department of Systems Engineering, Colorado State University, February 2, 2023.
  • K. Hinkelman. “From Furnaces to Forests: Innovations in Modeling and Simulation for the Transition of Legacy District Energy Systems to Integrated Biomimetic Designs.” Research Seminar, Department of Mechanical Engineering & Mechanics, Drexel University, December 20, 2021.
  • K. Hinkelman. “Towards Open-Source Modelica Models for Steam-Based District Heating Systems”, The 1st International Workshop on Open Source Modelling and Simulation of Energy Systems, April 5, 2022.
  • K. Hinkelman. “Virtual Testbed for Optimized Planning of Smart, Sustainable, and Connected Communities”, The IEEE Power & Energy Society General Meeting, Denver, Colorado, USA, July 19, 2022.
  • K. Hinkelman. “Ecosystem-Level Biomimicry for the Built Environment: Adopting Systems Ecology Principles for the Control of Heterogeneous Energy Systems”, The 5th International Conference on Building Energy and Environment, Montreal, Canada, July 22, 2022.

Posters

  • K. Hinkelman. “BICEPS – Biomimetic Integrated Community Energy and Power Systems.” Department of Energy Building Technologies Office (BTO) Peer Review, Arlington, VA, April 24-28, 2023.
  • K. Hinkelman, W. Zuo. “Ecological Network Analysis for Architectural Engineering: How might building energy systems learn from nature?” AEI Conference, Denver, CO, April 12-14, 2023.  ** Best Poster Award