Impacts of Solar PV, Battery Storage and HVAC Set Point Adjustments on Energy Savings and Peak Demand Reduction Potentials in Buildings

This paper discusses and compares three alternatives to reduce electrical energy consumption (kWh) and peak demand (kW) in buildings, namely deployment of rooftop solar PV, battery energy storage and HVAC set point adjustments. The building model of a warehouse located in Alexandria, VA, was developed in eQUEST, and its electrical consumption was validated with metered data. To perform the overall analysis, adjustment of HVAC set points was conducted in eQUEST, while Solar PV and battery models were developed and deployed on top of the developed eQUEST building model. Overall, the method presented here can serve as a guideline for building owners to analyze energy savings/peak demand reduction alternatives, of which benefits are varied from buildings to buildings based on building sizes, electricity tariffs, climate zones and building operation.