Project Scope
RES4BUILD will decarbonise the energy consumption in buildings by developing integrated renewable energy-based solutions that are tailored to the needs and requirements of users and installers. The project adopts a co-development approach, where the end-users and other relevant stakeholders are engaged in an interactive and iterative process, resulting in a co-designed RES4BUILD system that meets technical and non-technical user and installer requirements. In parallel, a full life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle economics (LCE) analysis will be carried out, showing from an early stage the real impact of each proposed design.
The main goals that are expected to be succeeded are:
Efficiency
Improve the performance and reduce the cost of the most innovative components of the RES4BUILD solutions
Innovation
Develop tools for simulation, sizing and control, making optimal use of integrated energy systems and the flexibility of consumption, while respecting the wishes of end-users.
Collaboration
Engage all relevant stakeholders in an interactive process to co-design integrated energy systems that suit current needs and future expectations.
Leadership
Pave the way for bringing the developed solutions to the market using rigorous life cycle assessments to measure their real impact, ensuring wide adoption.
Innovative RES4BUILD Technologies
- Magnetocaloric Heat Pump (MHP) – Using the change in temperature when magnetising (heating) and demagnetising (cooling) magnetic material to build a heat pump.
- Multi-source heat pump concept – Coupling the MHP to the evaporator of a vapour-compression heat pump, the latter of which employs a two-stage configuration with in-series DC-driven compressors.
- PV/T collectors – Combining the features of standard PV panels and solar thermal collectors to produce both heat and electricity with a higher energy yield per m2 than separate collectors.
- Borehole Thermal Energy Storage (BTES) – Extracting heat from an array of boreholes during winter using a heat exchanger. The chilled circuit water is returned to the borehole, with the flow reversed in summer months.
- Building Energy Management System (BEMS) – Monitoring the mechanical and electrical equipment in buildings, including the main loads, energy generation and storage systems, and using controlling software to optimise the system’s operation to meet user-defined objectives.
