Model predictive control of sun-coupled innovative heat pumps: a comparison of economic and environmental optimizations

Background: Heating and cooling in buildings represents a significant amount of the energy demand EU, but market penetration renewable solutions is still marginal. The SunHorizon project aims at proving viability benefits innovative coupling between heat pumps various advanced solar panels. Methods: This study focuses on optimal operation strategies technological package composed hybrid photovoltaic thermal (PVT) panels, gas driven pump hot water storage tank. In this work, model predictive control developed, based mixed integer linear programming (MILP) optimization. uses elements compared to traditional (MPC), with environmental indicators for electricity grid accounting imports, co-simulation TRNSYS using transmission protocol (TCP) modelling inter-seasonal long short-term decisions. usual minimization costs two new optimization approaches, which minimize greenhouse (GHG) emissions maximizing use. Results conclusions: results GHG show that gains can be found within variations time series related grid, overall remain similar. Optimization share self-consumption another path strategy, less economic performance.