Improvement in Energy Self-Sufficiency in Residential Buildings Using Photovoltaic Thermal Plants, Heat Pumps, and Electrical and Thermal Storage

Promoting complete decarbonization by entrusting the energy supply through renewable sources (wind, photovoltaic, solar thermal, etc.) is one of the key strategies in the building sector. However, renewable energy’s intermittent and space–time mismatch characteristics pose challenges to its compatibility with the power grid. Challenges can be mitigated by introducing thermal and electrical storage to increase the self-consumption of renewable energy in the buildings. This work proposes a comparison between different energy systems equipped with a heat pump, solar plant (photovoltaic or photovoltaic thermal), and thermal and electrical storage. All year-round performances of the different energy system configurations have been simulated using the TRNSYS 17.2 software. The energy analyses revealed that the energy system equipped with a photovoltaic plant, when incorporating the two storages, improves self-consumption (Rsc) from 34.1% to 69.4 and self-sufficiency (Dss) from 27.9% to 59.9%, respectively. Additionally, the energy system equipped with photovoltaic thermal collectors and both storages further improve the system performance; an Rsc of 96.2% and Dss of 86.9% are attained. These results demonstrate that the previous energy system configuration can facilitate the near attainment of net-zero energy buildings. Furthermore, the proposed energy system is characterized by a minimal energy imbalance between the building’s energy demand and the energy produced, thereby reducing the need for energy exchange with the electrical grid.