Hardware-In-The-Loop Tests on Complete Systems with Heat Pumps and PV for the Supply of Heat and Electricity
Abstract
Four “smart control” heat pump (HP) heating systems have been tested and evaluated as a whole by detailed measurements in the laboratory with a hardware in the loop approach. The complete systems were installed on a test rig that emulated a building with photovoltaic (PV) electricity production as well as the heat demand for domestic hot water and space heating and the electricity demand for household appliances. The test bench also emulated the environmental heat (air or ground source) as the source of the heat pump. The measurement focused on the capability of the tested systems to deal with solar power in excess to household needs and with different types of energy storage (thermal or electrochemical). In addition to insights into the behavior and performance of the tested systems, insights into the advantages and disadvantages of various key performance factors for these kind of systems were gained. It is found that self-sufficiency and self-consumption are not suitable optimization parameters. The grid purchase ratio is proposed instead.