Application of distributed energy systems in subtropical and high density urban areas

Abstract

Distributed energy system has been attracting increasing attentions in recent decades due to high efficiency and environmental friendliness. It supplies users power, cooling and heat locally by using smaller power generators. Many studies have been conducted on the design and control of distributed energy systems. For subtropical and high density urban areas, cooling is required almost all the year and district cooling systems are regarded as an efficient alternative. Distributed energy systems therefore can be integrated with district cooling systems. However, the performance of distributed energy systems for subtropical areas, especially when being integrated with district cooling systems, is not well studied yet. This paper therefore attempts to investigate the performance of integrated systems and compare it with the conventional systems which totally depend on the central grid. Energy saving potential of distributed energy systems is analyzed under different control methods and in different periods. The impacts of the mechanisms of the distributed energy systems on the energy saving are analyzed. Results show that the distributed energy systems integrated with district cooling systems can achieve an energy saving of 12.8%. The control method following the cooling demand is preferred with a larger energy saving.