Renewable Energy Communities – Development of a simulation tool aimed at energy and profitability analyses

Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) are emerging as a key field of research to further increase the share of renewable-energy-based systems in energy production. Research on RECs may take advantage of knowledge and tools from various disciplines such as Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) in buildings, urban energy consumption profiles, renewable energy sources, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), load balancing strategies, profitability analyses, electric system management, etc. This paper deals with the development of a software tool aimed at the evaluation of the balance and profitability of RECs. It is based on building energy simulation software EnergyPlus and calculates the outputs relevant for RECs. It enables researchers to perform energy and profitability analysis at various detail levels, starting from a volume-based approach up to the detailed definition of single apartments or buildings. For buildings lacking detailed information, it makes available data collected from acknowledged resources to determine building envelope characteristics and energy consumption profiles depending on construction/renovation year, building’s intended use and other general information.