Urban Building Energy Modeling for Self-Sufficiency Scenarios with solar technologies in Turin, Italy

Abstract

Understanding the complexities of building energy dynamics is crucial as it offers a pathway to reducing energy consumption and associated emissions. By using Urban Building Energy Modeling (UBEM), this work aims to drive sustainable urban development, by integrating renewable energy sources in district heating networks. This study focuses on UBEM as an effective scale for analyzing buildings within their specific characteristics that influence their consumptions and limit their production from renewables. The analysis focuses on utilizing solar thermal collectors (STC) for space heating consumption in residential buildings connected to the district heating network. The aim is to allow the integration of renewables into district heating network by testing lower supply temperatures. The validated model is used to analyze the potential self-sufficiency achieved through STC production for all residential buildings in three analyzed zones. The results indicate the potential of achieving self-sufficiency using STCs with different inlet and outlet temperatures; a self-sufficiency of 24% with 90°C and 21% with 105°C supply temperatures in March while for October it could only reach 9% and 7% respectively. The results of this work are crucial for optimizing solar energy production and to explore a distributed production system for individual and collective self-consumption strategies, offering insights into sustainable energy scenarios and policies.