• Energy Research
• 2021-2025close

The cluster on Enabling Technologies in the framework of the Fast Track on Energy Communities workshop held in Rome during the Sustainable Places 2021 conference presented a series of H2020 projects and their innovative technological solutions to facilitate the uptake of energy communities, demand-response and energy efficiency projects in Europe.

Abstract The growing need of dispatchable units, capable to balance the variable renewable energy electrical production leads to the development of strategies aimed at increasing power plants operational flexibility and global efficiency in part-load operation. A highly efficient heat pump (integrated in a conventional natural gas combined cycle is here proposed as a flexibility enhancement solution. Such concept, applied to power oriented combined cycle, allows to modify the compressor intake temperature with a consequent increase of the power production. While this operation for open cycle gas turbine is beneficial also to electric efficiency, combined cycles’ efficiency is less sensitive to the temperature variation and thus more influenced by the auxiliary consumption. The selection of the proper heat pump size for the proposed layout was based on an optimization process considering both combined cycle and heat pump off-design performance. After a statistical analysis of climatic data and their correlations with energy market condition for the six Italian price zones, the models developed were applied to assess the thermoeconomic potential of the proposed layout. This work highlights how a proper optimization process influences both revenues and size optimization and to highlight how such integrated system can be selected at its best considering typical market and climatic frames. The ratio between the air-cooled heat pump electrical consumption and the electrical combined cycle capacity that maximize power production increase was found to be 1/100. This finding can be extended to the others world Humid subtropical climate and Mediterranean hot summer climates zones. It is underlined how electrical market conditions could jeopardize the installation profits even under favourable climatic potential reducing the optimal economic heat pump size. Using off-design curves and optimization algorithm in performing coupling analysis appears to be more effective, with respect to simplified calculations under unfavourable economic and climate conditions.

Abstract This paper examines the main non-technical factors that influence social and market acceptance of solar photovoltaic panels and heat pumps in buildings. The paper discusses results from a literature review and a survey of European stakeholders. Statistical analysis results of survey data identify the most common barriers to adoption of renewables as: limited information about the technology, financial concerns, and sociodemographic factors. Survey results indicate variability in market and social acceptance of renewables between stakeholders and countries. The investment cost of the technologies is identified as a barrier to adoption for all countries. Legal and organizational issues are identified as barriers in Spain. Economic and legal barriers are identified as barriers in Latvia and Belgium. The respondents from Germany only identify investment cost as a barrier. Economic aspects are identified as the main barriers among public building owners and the general public. Businesspeople identified the largest number of barriers, including economic aspects, lack of information, trust, business models, and legal issues, while private building owners identified the least number of barriers, with concerns only related to economic aspects. Results of this study provide valuable information for policymaking focused on increasing the adoption of renewables in the building sector. Additionally, this study identifies the need to increase environmental awareness among citizens and increase the availability of information about technologies to stakeholders. Citizens should be informed about the recoupment of the investment costs of the technologies to offset the perception of high investment costs, long payback time, and lack of proper business models.