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Can phase change materials in building insulation improve self-consumption of residential rooftop solar? An Australian case study

Author

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  • Rahimpour, Zahra
  • Verbič, Gregor
  • Chapman, Archie C.

Abstract

This work investigates the extent to which phase change material (PCM) in the building's envelope can be used as an alternative to battery storage systems to increase self-consumption of rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) generation. In particular, we explore the electricity cost-savings and increase in PV self-consumption that can be achieved by using PCMs and the operation of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system optimised by a home energy management system (HEMS). In more detail, we consider a HEMS with an HVAC system, rooftop PV, and a PCM layer integrated into the building envelope. The objective of the HEMS optimisation is to minimise electricity costs while maximising PV self-consumption and maintaining the indoor building temperature in a preferred comfort range. Solving this problem is challenging due to PCM's nonlinear characteristics, and using methods that can deal with the resulting non-convexity of the optimisation problem, like dynamic programming is computationally expensive. Therefore, we use multi-timescale approximate dynamic programming (MADP) that we developed in our earlier work to explore a number of Australian PCM scenarios. Specifically, we analyse a large number of residential buildings across five Australian capital cities. We find that using PCM can reduce annual electricity costs by between 10.6% in Brisbane and 19% in Adelaide. However, somewhat surprisingly, using PCM reduces PV self-consumption by between 1.5% in Brisbane and 2.7% in Perth.

Suggested Citation

  • Rahimpour, Zahra & Verbič, Gregor & Chapman, Archie C., 2022. "Can phase change materials in building insulation improve self-consumption of residential rooftop solar? An Australian case study," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 192(C), pages 24-34.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:192:y:2022:i:c:p:24-34
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2022.04.085
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Barzin, Reza & Chen, John J.J. & Young, Brent R. & Farid, Mohammed M., 2015. "Application of PCM underfloor heating in combination with PCM wallboards for space heating using price based control system," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 39-48.
    2. Sun, Xiaoqin & Lin, Yian & Zhu, Ziyang & Li, Jie, 2022. "Optimized design of a distributed photovoltaic system in a building with phase change materials," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 306(PA).
    3. Saffari, Mohammad & de Gracia, Alvaro & Fernández, Cèsar & Cabeza, Luisa F., 2017. "Simulation-based optimization of PCM melting temperature to improve the energy performance in buildings," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 202(C), pages 420-434.
    4. Verbeke, Stijn & Audenaert, Amaryllis, 2018. "Thermal inertia in buildings: A review of impacts across climate and building use," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 82(P3), pages 2300-2318.
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    Cited by:

    1. Zhou, Yuekuan, 2022. "Demand response flexibility with synergies on passive PCM walls, BIPVs, and active air-conditioning system in a subtropical climate," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 204-225.
    2. Zhou, Yaping & Li, Daifeng & Luo, Jing & Sun, Xiaoqin & Li, Xionghui, 2025. "Technical, economic and environmental evaluation of a distributed photovoltaic-battery system for residential buildings with phase change materials," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 252(C).

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