Practical challenges of model predictive control (MPC) for grid interactive small and medium commercial buildings
To the urgent call for mitigating climate change, substantial initiatives have been undertaken to deploy grid-interactive heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) controls, such as model predictive control (MPC) for buildings. These efforts typically aim to curtail peak energy demand, shift load and enhance overall energy efficiency. With the recent development of low-cost MPC technologies that don’t require extensive instrumentation or manual modeling, small and medium commercial buildings (SMCBs), which rarely utilize advanced HVAC control systems, have become candidates for grid-interactive efficient buildings (GEBs). However, despite the potential benefits and maturity of the technology itself, several practical challenges remain in real-world implementation. In this paper, we share the practical challenges that we have encountered in implementing and testing three types of MPC solutions (ON/OFF unit, dualfuel, and VRF systems) on multiple SMCB sites. We describe the MPC deployment process and discuss the lessons learned. The site selection, eligibility, and retrofit availability (e.g., utility price structure, thermostat communications, etc.) are the main discussion points at the beginning of the project. Also, the modeling automation and the best practices for interacting with endusers and handling erroneous situations are presented for successful operations.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Energy Efficiency Office. Building Technologies Office (EE-5B)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-05CH11231
- OSTI ID:
- 2439974
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 2024 Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings, Pacific Grove, CA (United States), 4-9 Aug 2024
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Assessing the performance of global thermostat adjustment in commercial buildings for load shifting demand response
Securing Grid-interactive Efficient Buildings (GEB) through Cyber Defense and Resilient System (CYDRES)