Experimental analysis of a self consumption strategy for residential building: The integration of PV system and geothermal heat pump

The paper analyzes the perspective of a solution for the mutual interaction of a Photovoltaic (PV) generator and a Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) in the context of a residential building. The idea is to analyze the operating performance of a system that permits the maximum self-consumption of the energy generated by a small-size PV system installed on the same building: this kind of systems could be useful for further penetration of renewable energy in a complex energy context. The problem is analyzed basing on the data of an experimental analysis of a real case, in the town of Pisa, Italy. A typical house equipped with a GSHP and a PV plant of similar size (about 3.7 kW of peak power) is monitored during a year of operation in order to test the feasibility of the technical solution for a more general application. The data concerns both the operation of the two systems and the interaction with the electric grid. The possible utilization of this solution in the perspective of promotion of self-consumption policies and of Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB) is discussed and analyzed showing that the level of interaction with the electrical grid is quite high. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.