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Increasing penetrations of intermittent renewable energy generators, such as solar PV, electrification of the energy demand (e.g., heat provided by electric heat pumps and electric mobility) increase the probability of overloaded electricity grids. Investments in local grid infrastructure can be avoided by better matching supply and demand locally.
Within this project, we will research how parking places can be combined with solar PV and battery storage to form one integrated energy system. Together with optimal control over the charging of electric vehicles, such a smart parking place can offer the required energy flexibility to nearby buildings (e.g. houses and offices) to avoid aforementioned investments. To this end, a modular energy management concept will be developed that uses the flexibility of the parking places to match the energy demand of the nearby buildings. This way, flexibility can be traded to optimally use renewable energy within the local energy infrastructure and avoid grid congestion. In particular, the required information exchange between parking places, buildings and the end-users to make such a system possible will be investigated. The smart parking place concept will be tested in a pilot site located on the university campus.
Involved partners next to the Decentral Energy Management research group:
- AmperaPark (green EV charging solution provider), MENNEKES (manufacturer of EV charging equipment), and Super-B (energy storage provider).
"Project in beeld" - a video production in cooperation with TKI Urban Energy
U-Today: "SlimPark on campus: demo-site for energy transition"
On 17-05-2022, U-Today published an article on the SlimPark pilot site: "By better matching the consumer demand with energy supply from solar and wind, Johann Hurink, Professor of Applied Mathematics, develops smart solutions for an optimal use of these forms of energy. The first demo-site, SlimPark on campus, shows how solar energy can be utilized most efficiently."
"SlimPark at the UT is a modest building, looking like a good mix of Scandinavian design and modern art: a construction of steel and wood that contrasts nicely with a futuristic roof made out of solar panels. It is a living laboratory as well as a demonstration site to study the optimal use of solar energy to charge electrical cars. Nine electrical cars can be parked and plugged into the charging stations. ‘SlimPark demonstrates the essence of a microgrid,’ Hurink says. ‘In this demo-study, important aspects of energy management are integrated: we generate solar electricity, use this energy locally for charging and store the excess in a battery.’"
Read the full article on the U-Today website via this link.
Time period: 2020-2022