Life Cycle Optimization of a Zero Carbon Building for CO2e, Energy, and Cost Using Stochastic Controls for an Energy System Integrating a Heat Pump, Solar Air Wall, PV, and a Smart Grid-integrated Thermal Storage (SGTS) Hydronic Battery

• Main Author: Stoyke, Godo Albert
• Other Authors: Assefa, Getachew, Hachem-Vermette, Caroline, Layzell, David B., Lee, Tang Gim, Blarke, Morten Boje
• Format: Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Environmental Design 2018
• Subjects: Green building rating systems; climate change; CO2e; Carbon return on investment; CROI; IRR; cost-benefit analysis; least-cost climate abatement; residual carbon debt; stochastic control; heat pump; thermal storage; global warming potential; energy efficiency; model predictive control; energy efficiency retrofit; residential; Architecture; commercial; GHG emission reduction; energy consumption; Life cycle assessment; Life cycle costing; LCA; LCC; CAGBC LEED; net zero energy building; zero carbon building; ZEB; PassivHaus; passive house; laneway house; Garden suite; zero-peak house; Edmonton; Alberta; Canada; Smart grid-integrated thermal storage (SGTS); Coefficient of performance; COP; Photovoltaic; solar thermal air wall; solar thermal collector; predictive controls; weather forecast; Environmental Sciences; Energy; Engineering; Engineering > Electronics and Electrical; Engineering > Mechanical; Subarctic
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1880/106444; https://doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/31737

The life cycle optimization (LCO) of zero carbon buildings (ZC) was examined, using a laneway house built with photovoltaic and solar air wall (SAW) renewable energy collection, air-to-water heat pump, smart grid-integrated thermal storage (SGTS) hydronic battery with an internet-connected stochastic (predictive) control system in subarctic Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. LCO is for global warming potential (GWP), energy, cost, and renewable friendliness. A life cycle assessment (LCA) based methodology (carbon return on investment – CROI) is proposed for design and retrofit decisions on the basis of GWP and cost. Sustainable building rating systems are modelled for their effectiveness in reducing GWP and energy use and are found to reduce life cycle GWP by 18.3% (LEED 2009 certified), 60.7% (PassivHaus 9.30), 96.9% (net zero) and 97.2% (zero carbon) compared to a home built to Alberta Building Code 2014 (base model – BM) over an 80 year life cycle. LCA of the ZC laneway house found a 94.4% reduction in GWP compared to the BM. In the BM, manufacturing, construction, maintenance and end of life phases contributed only 3.6% of life cycle GWP. A modelled HP with stochastic control, SAW and SGTS reduced annual energy consumption by 49.2% compared to a HP only, and by 61.8% compared to resistive heating. Using hourly grid pricing as a proxy of renewable friendliness, modelled optimization under a simulated dynamic pricing system by using hourly historic Alberta electrical pool pricing averaged over each month as a stochastic control mechanism for the HP showed a statistically significant 60.7% to 71.5% energy cost reduction, compared to a thermostatically controlled HP. Preliminary ZC real-life sensor readings are examined.