New publication in Elsevier Energy

Congratulations, Shalika and the co-authors, prof. Wim Zeiler, Wim Maassen, and Dr. Katarina Katic!!!

Title: Multi-criteria feasibility assessment of cost-optimized alternatives to comply with heating demand of existing office buildings – A case study
Highlights:
• The influence of gas-free transition on individual existing buildings is discussed.
• Importance of including feasibility assessment is highlighted.
• Hybrid and all-electric scenarios for a case study office building is demonstrated.
• The results are benchmarked with the government regulations in the Netherlands.
• Shift of fossil-energy demand from the building to the production side is observed.

Abstract:
In line with the EU’s goal to phase out the use of fossil fuel, the Dutch government is determined to have gas-free new buildings from 2018 onwards. However, with over 90% of the heating demand in both existing residential and commercial buildings currently accomplished with natural gas, transitioning to a gas-free system in existing buildings remains an enormous challenge. Though electric heat pumps are gaining large ground as a substitute, the increase in electricity consumption also introduces uncertainties and further complexities to an already constrained electricity grid.
This paper thus evaluates, the impact of switching to a greener demand side with all-electric heating systems for existing characteristics of the office buildings, with the current composition of the electricity production side in the Netherlands. Using multi-objective computational simulations with linear programming and feasibility assessment using the Kesselring method, the study reveals hybrid energy systems (utilizing electricity and gas) favors over all-electric energy systems for fulfilling the heating demand when the buildings are considered individually. This is because the switch to a greener heating system using electricity translates to a shift of demand for fossil energy from the building side to the central production side for the on-going situation in the Netherlands.

Full paper can be downloaded from the following link:
Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544219316585?via%3Dihub

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