Optimal Co-Design of Integrated Thermal-Electrical Networks and
Control Systems for Grid-Interactive Efficient District (GED) Energy
Systems
Sponsored by U.S. Department of Energy (2020 – 2024)
Project Description
The coordination of thermal-electrical-control networks is essential for the optimal design of grid-interactive efficient district (GED) energy systems, particularly when renewable energy sources are integrated. This $4.16M joint research is to create a holistic open-source modeling and optimization platform for the optimal design and retrofit of GED energy systems. Based on National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s URBANopt and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Modelica Buildings library, this platform can be used to increase system efficiency and resilience of our communities.
Technical Advisory Group
| Name | Institution |
|---|---|
| Ben Ealey | Electric Power Research Institute |
| Caitlin Holley | ENGIE |
| Henry Johnstone | GLHN |
| John Camilleri | PSC |
| Peter Lilienthal | HOMER Energy by UL |
| Shalom Flank | Pareto Energy |
Project Team
University of Colorado – Boulder
Kyri Baker, Ph.D.
Department of Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado – Boulder, United States
Bryan Birosak, Director
Utility and Energy Services, University of Colorado - Boulder, United States
Ellen Edwards, Energy Manager
Utility and Energy Services, University of Colorado - Boulder, United States
Aisling Pigott
Department of Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado – Boulder, United States
Pennsylvania State University
Wangda Zuo, Ph.D.
Department of Architectural Engineering, Penn State University, United States
wangda.zuo@psu.edu
Ardeshir Moftakhari, Ph.D.
Department of Architectural Engineering, Penn State University, United States
Katy Hinkelman, M.S. EIT
Department of Architectural Engineering, Penn State University, United States
Zhanwei He, Ph.D.
Department of Architectural Engineering, Penn State University, United States
Julia Ho
Department of Architectural Engineering, Penn State University, United States
Saranya Anbarasu
Department of Architectural Engineering, Penn State University, United States
sba5847@psu.edu
Viswanathan Ganesh
Department of Architectural Engineering, Penn State University, United States
Juan Diego Flores Garcia
Department of Architectural Engineering, Penn State University, United States
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Luigi Vanfretti, Associate Professor, Ph.D.
Department of Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Tetiana Bogodorova, Research Scientist, Ph.D.
Department of Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Fernando Fachini
Department of Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Hao Chang
Department of Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
University of Texas – Austin
Atila Novoselac, Professor, Ph.D.
Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, University of Texas at Austin
Michael Huylo
Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, University of Texas at Austin
Mengjia Tang
Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, University of Texas at Austin
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Michael Wetter, Staff Scientist, Ph.D.
Building Technology & Urban Systems Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Jianjun Hu, Principal Scientific Engineering Associate, Ph.D.
Building Technology & Urban Systems Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Nicholas Long, Senior Engineer, P.E., M.S.
Commercial Buildings Research Group, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Jiazhen Ling, Ph.D.
Commercial Buildings Research Group, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Nathan Moore
Residential Buildings Research Group, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Amzur Technologies
Resulted Open Source Software and Libraries
Media Reports
Journal Articles
- K. Hinkelman, S. Anbarasu, M. Wetter, A. Gautier, W. Zuo. 2022. “A Fast and Accurate Modeling Approach for Water and Steam Thermodynamics with Practical Applications in District Heating System Simulation,” Energy, 254(A), pp. 124227.
- K. Hinkelman, J. Wang, W. Zuo, A. Gautier, M. Wetter, C. Fan, N. Long. 2022. “Modelica-Based Modeling and Simulation of District Cooling Systems: A Case Study.” Applied Energy, 311, pp.118654.
Conference Papers
- Asad Ullah Amin Shah, Kyle Warns, Junyung Kim, Miguel Aguilera, Luigi Vanfretti and Hyun Gook Kang, “Nuclear Power System-Level Modeling and Simulation- Comparing Thermal Library Suites,” 11th Workshop on Modeling and Simulation of Cyber-Physical Energy Systems, San Antonio, Texas, USA, May 9, 2023.
- Kyle Warns, Asad Ullah Amin Shah, Kyle Warns, Miguel Adguilera, Junyung Kim, Luigi Vanfretti and Hyun Gook Kang, “Multi-Domain Modeling of a Steam Power Plant with Power Grid,” 11th Workshop on Modeling and Simulation of Cyber-Physical Energy Systems, San Antonio, Texas, USA, May 9, 2023.
- Fernando Fachini, Aisling Pigott, Giuseppe Laera, Tetiana Bogodorova, Luigi Vanfretti and Kyri Baker, “Developing a Campus Microgrid Model utilizing Modelica and the OpenIPSL Library,” 11th Workshop on Modeling and Simulation of Cyber-Physical Energy Systems, San Antonio, Texas, USA, May 9, 2023.
- F. Fachini, M. d. Castro, M. Liu, T. Bogodorova, L. Vanfretti, W. Zuo 2022. “Multi-Domain Power and Thermo-Fluid System Stability Modeling using OpenIPSL Library”, 2022 IEEE Power & Energy Society General Meeting (PESGM), July 17-21, Denver, CO.
- 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.
- A. Pigott, K. Baker, S. A. Dorado-Rojas, L. Vanfretti 2022. “Dymola-Enabled Reinforcement Learning for Real-time Generator Set-point Optimization.” Proceeding of the 13th Conference on Innovative Smart Grid Technologies (ISGT 2022). February 21-24, Washington, D.C., USA.
- F. Fachini, L. Vanfretti, M. C. Fernandes, T. Bogodorova 2021. “Modeling and Validation of Renewable Energy Sources in the OpenIPSL Modelica Library.” Proceeding of the 47th Annual Conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society (IECON 2021). October 13-16, Toronto, Canada.
Presentations
- M. Wetter 2022, “Design of Decarbonized District Energy Systems with the Modelica Buildings Library“, Building Performance Analysis Conference and SimBuild, Chicago, IL, September 14, 2022.
- N. Long 2022 “Rapid Development of District Models Using URBANopt District Energy System”, Building Performance Analysis Conference and SimBuild, Chicago, IL, September 14, 2022.
- K. Hinkelman 2022 “A Fast and Accurate Modeling Approach for Water and Steam Thermodynamics with Practical Applications in District Heating System Simulation”, Building Performance Analysis Conference and SimBuild, Chicago, IL, September 14, 2022.
- K. Hinkelman 2022 “Towards Open-Source Modelica Models for Steam-Based District Heating Systems“, the 1st International Workshop on Open Source Modelling and Simulation of Energy Systems.