Multi-Objective Design Optimization for Distributed Energy Systems With Energy Storage: A Case Study

As a promising approach for sustainable development, the distributed energy system receives increasing attention worldwide and has become a key topic explored by researchers in the areas of building energy systems and smart grid. In line with this research trend, this paper presents a case study of designing an integrated distributed energy system including photovoltaics (PV), combined cooling heating and power (CCHP) and electric and thermal energy storage for commercial buildings (i.e., a hospital and a large hotel). The subsystems are modeled individually and integrated based on a proposed control strategy to meet the electric and thermal energy demand of a building. A multi-objective particle swarm optimization (PSO) is performed to determine the optimal size of each subsystem with objectives to minimize carbon dioxide emissions and payback period. The results demonstrate that the proposed method can be effectively utilized to obtain an optimized design of distributed energy systems that can minimize environmental and economic impacts for different buildings.