HIL - A framework to characterize the performance of building components in providing flexible loads and building services using a hardware in- the-loop approach

SCE provided a Letter of Commitment (LOC) in support of LBNL’s proposal titled “A framework to characterize the performance of building components in providing flexible loads and building services using a hardware-in-the-loop approach” in response to the DOE’s BENEFIT FOA 0002090 solicitation, intending to cost share $300,000. This DOE project will generate high fidelity measurements of building system energy use and their ability and performance to provide grid services and demand flexibility while maintaining acceptable levels of service to building occupants. It will measure demand flexibility for different grid services and system/building types (commercial) and generate data for researchers/policymakers.  Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) submitted a proposal to the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Building Technologies Office (BTO) in response to the DOE’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) funding opportunity exchange DE-FOA 0002090, “BUILDINGS ENERGY EFFICIENCY FRONTIERS & INNOVATION TECHNOLOGIES (BENEFIT) – 2019”.  The BTO’s overall goal is to improve the energy productivity of buildings without sacrificing occupant comfort or product performance. The goal is to use energy more productively and efficiently, not simply to use less energy. Progress towards achieving this goal will make building energy costs more affordable to the benefit of American families and businesses. Achieving BTO’s priorities across the building technology landscape requires sustained, multifaceted innovation.  The proposal submitted by LBNL was titled "A framework to characterize the performance of building components in providing flexible loads and building services using a hardware-in-the-loop approach" and was awarded a contract agreement by the DOE for $1.6M  to fund the development of a framework to characterize the performance of building components in providing flexible loads and building services using a hardware in-the-loop approach. The overall project objectives are to measure demand flexibility for different grid services and system/building types (commercial) and generate data for researchers/policy makers.  Research questions include: ● How much demand can be actually “shifted” by a light commercial building? ● What are the controllable end-uses and equipment types that provide the highest impact? ● How do mass and insulation affect the amount of shiftable load? The expected end of project outcomes from LBNL are: 1) Generation of high resolution data (i.e., 1 min sampling or less) measuring the performance (building and grid service) of at least 3 systems (e.g., HVAC, lighting, plugs) while operating under all four flexibility modes (i.e., efficiency, shed, shift, modulate) in at least 5 different scenarios (e.g., a mix of weather, occupancy, building characteristics) 2) Development of test procedures to measure building flexibility 3) Generation of a component-level and system-level Modelica model of FLEXLAB to be used in future simulation research (e.g., to test advanced controls) 4) Setup of a hardware-in-the-loop infrastructure at FLEXLAB to support new lab experiments