Advances in the Co-Simulation of Detailed Electrical and Whole-Building Energy Performance

Stephen Frank, Brian Ball, Daniel L. Gerber, Khanh Cu, Avpreet Othee, Jordan Shackelford, Omkar Ghatpande (), Richard Brown and James Cale
Additional contact information
Stephen Frank: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO 80401, USA
Brian Ball: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO 80401, USA
Daniel L. Gerber: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
Khanh Cu: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO 80401, USA
Avpreet Othee: Department of Systems Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
Jordan Shackelford: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
Omkar Ghatpande: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO 80401, USA
Richard Brown: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
James Cale: Department of Systems Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 17, 1-18

Abstract: This article describes recent co-simulation advances for the simultaneous modeling of detailed building electrical distribution systems and whole-building energy performance. The co-simulation architecture combines the EnergyPlus ® engine for whole-building energy modeling with a new Modelica library for building an electrical distribution system model that is based on harmonic power flow. This new library allows for a higher-fidelity modeling of electrical power flows and losses within buildings than is available with current building electrical modeling software. We demonstrate the feasibility of the architecture by modeling a simple, two-zone thermal chamber with internal power electronics converters and resistive loads, and we validate the model using experimental data. The proposed co-simulation capability significantly expands the capabilities of building electrical distribution system models in the context of whole-building energy modeling, thus enabling more complex analyses than would have been possible with individual building performance simulation tools that are used to date.

Keywords: building performance simulation; co-simulation; harmonic power flow; functional mock-up interface; functional mock-up unit (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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