Thermal Collection and Seasonal Storage Potential of a Mixed-Use Neighborhood
Abstract
This paper summarizes the energy performance of a mixed-use community, which combines residential and commercial/institutional buildings, in a northern cold climate. The energy performance criteria include, in addition to thermal and electrical consumption, the balance between energy consumption and solar energy generation. The community is designed according to various existing guidelines of sustainability. Energy efficiency measures are implemented in all building types, while PV panels are assumed to be integrated on all available near south-facing roof surfaces. A solar thermal collector system combined with a borehole thermal energy storage is designed to investigate the impact on the overall performance of the neighbourhood. The design of solar thermal collectors and the sizing of short-term thermal storage is based on the analysis of the thermal loads for heating and domestic hot water in each district of the community. The results indicate that implementing thermal collectors and seasonal storage, in this high energy performance neighbourhood, leads to a net positive energy status.