Agent-based Modelling of Residential Energy Generation with Micro-chp

Distributed energy resources are expected to pervade the energy system in the future and will contribute to the EU’s policy goals of energy market liberalisation and decreasing environmental impacts from energy use. This modelling study focuses on residential power and heat generation via micro combined heat and power units (μCHP), coupled with heat storage possibilities. The impact of the application of residential μCHP on operational energy flows to and from households, energy costs and CO2 emissions has been researched. We show that these operational impacts are significantly dependent on the adopted control mode applied in the total μCHP system. However, nearly every control mode showed cost and emission reductions in different seasons. The design of the heat-led, electricity-led end leastcost control modes are presented and their implementation in an agent-based model is discussed.