Decarbonisation pathways of 100 % electrified building facilities: An experimental and simulation case study in a Mediterranean area

Abstract

Decarbonising the built environment is crucial for the European Union to achieve its 2030 and 2050 climate targets, as outlined in the European Green Deal. Heating and cooling account for nearly 80 % of the total final energy consumption in buildings. Typically, the decarbonisation of a building’s heating and cooling facility involves replacing the fuel-based heating system with an alternative energy source. However, these solutions do not apply to all buildings in the EU. There are areas of the EU in which heating and cooling can be 100 % electrified, without any connection to a district heating or cooling grid, nor to other energy carrier grid like gas. These scenarios are seen, for example, in some service buildings located in Mediterranean areas of the EU. This paper shows a practical pathway for the decarbonisation of an office building by improving its energy facilities. The building is located in a Mediterranean area, and it is 100 % electrified. The heating and cooling demand of the building, along with its entire electricity consumption, are measured as a starting point. This data enables the calibration of an energy model of the building carried out in EnergyPlus. The energy efficiency measures proposed to decarbonise the building are analysed using the calibrated energy model of the building, enabling more realistic calculations about the impact of these measures. Some results indicate that the use of variable speed pumps can reduce the electricity consumption for pumping water by almost 8 %, that a dimming controller of the lighting facility could reduce the lighting consumption by 25 % and that a photovoltaic facility, which occupies all available roof space, could produce 20 % of the building’s total annual electricity consumption. The novelty of this work is to create a pathway to decarbonise 100 % electrified buildings located in Mediterranean areas and to understand their decarbonisation possibilities, thereby providing practical insights to help the decision-making process to reduce the carbon footprint of this type of buildings.