Design optimization of multi-energy hubs for community energy projects

Abstract

In this chapter, the authors study the effect of accounting for the hourly emission factors on the optimal primary energy consumption, natural gas, and electricity, for a network of energy hubs. Each hub is representative of a part of an urban area such as a school, residential complex, or hospital, in Ontario. In order to accomplish this, a mathematical model is developed based on two objectives, reducing the total annual cost of the system and the greenhouse gas emissions. Different technologies such as combined heat and power systems, solar photovoltaics, solar-thermal collectors, boilers, and heat and electrical storage systems are considered. Different scenarios are defined to investigate the effect of energy storage systems and energy exchange between buildings on the optimal configuration of the system. The results are compared for different scenarios based on total annual cost, CO2�emission, as well as natural gas and electricity consumption for constant and hourly emission factors.