Research project develops new holistic energy management system

In the context of the energy transition, modern buildings are increasingly becoming independent players in the electricity system. In view of the increasing requirements for energy efficiency and sustainability, it is becoming ever more important to view buildings as integral components of an intelligent energy infrastructure.

The research project and doctoral project of Prof. Dr. Fabian Kennel, graduate engineer and professor of automation and energy systems technology at the Environmental Campus Birkenfeld, addresses this issue by developing an innovative energy management system that holistically integrates electricity, heat and mobility. The title of the doctoral project is “Building energy management using learning-based model predictive control methods”; the doctoral student is Alexander Blinn.

Instead of classic, isolated heuristics/rules, the project pursues a holistic model-based concept that extends model-based approaches with data-based models to enable adaptive control of energy flows. The aim is to establish a flexible and scalable energy management system that can be transferred to a wide variety of building types and reacts dynamically to changing conditions. This integrative approach not only promises a significant increase in energy efficiency and sustainable optimization of resource consumption, but also contributes to the increased integration of renewable energies into the existing grid.

A key component of the project is the validation of the new methods using real building scenarios. The Birkenfeld environmental campus serves as a test environment, where comprehensive energy data and various building types are available. A case study in cooperation with ICONAG Leittechnik GmbH will demonstrate the transferability of the developed algorithms to other buildings. In the long term, the adaptive energy management system is to be integrated into ICONAG Leittechnik's software and established on the market.

ICONAG Managing Director Christian Wild explains the relevance of the research project: "Transforming buildings into active, controllable units will make a significant contribution to reducing CO₂ emissions and create the basis for forward-looking energy systems. Overall, the project opens up new perspectives for a more efficient and environmentally friendly use of energy in urban infrastructures."
 

InnoProm

With the “InnoProm - Innovation and Promotion” funding measure, the state of Rhineland-Palatinate supports application and practice-oriented doctoral projects that promote concrete innovations in Rhineland-Palatinate companies. The aim is to bring together innovation-relevant knowledge and entrepreneurial needs quickly and efficiently. By qualifying young scientists, the funding measure also makes an important contribution to securing the supply of skilled workers.

With the help of funds from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the state supports a proportion of the personnel costs for the respective doctoral candidate.