Design of the back-up system in Patio 2.12 photovoltaic installation

Andalucia team presented in the Solar Decathlon Europe 2012 competition a proposal of a modular, sustainable, self-sufficient housing, Patio 2.12. Inspired by Mediterranean style, Patio 2.12 was composed of four habitable modules around a common space ("patio"). Each habitable module has a photovoltaic system on its roof. Simplicity and modularity determined the design of the photovoltaic system so that, together with a global electrical energy management system, the use of the locally generated electrical energy can be optimized. Amongst others, a remarkable innovation included in Patio 2.12 was the use of an intelligent controlling device, based on an energetic support system that could manage the flows of electrical energy of all elements of the electrical installation integrated in the house. This system allows adapting the electricity availability to the consumption demand, maximizing the amount of photovoltaic energy locally generated and instantaneously consumed. This paper implements the use of a simulation software model to analyze the electrical energy balance of the photovoltaic electrical installation. This model estimates the electrical photovoltaic generation and the electrical exchanges with the grid and the battery bank, under a determined load profile, and for a specific period of time, using environmental data as inputs to the model. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.