Energy Systems of Buildings and Communities

Modern energy systems research focuses on finding optimal solutions for ensuring a comfortable and healthy indoor environment with minimal energy use. This is achieved both by utilising computer simulation and optimisation, and by conducting experimental research on novel technologies.

Energy systems of buildings are studied both experimentally and with the help of simulation and optimisation. The main focus areas are building energy efficiency and its optimisation, energy solutions for low-energy buildings, and indoor air quality & thermal conditions.

Energy systems research is done also at the community level by applying simulation, optimisation and system analysis tools. In densely populated areas, balancing energy production and usage over several buildings is more beneficial than concentrating on the buildings individually. Research include the development optimal strategies concerning energy efficiency, environmental impact and economics.

Building energy efficiency is studied by utilising building simulation tools such as IDA ICE and TRNSYS in conjunction with single- or multi-objective optimisation methods e.g. genetic algorithm. Energy solutions for low-energy buildings are associated with passive or zero-energy buildings. Such buildings and their energy systems are being studied in a five-year research project funded by the Academy of Finland, both with the computational methods mentioned earlier and with a semi-empirical nearly zero-energy building emulator located in the research group’s laboratory.

Acceptable air quality and thermal conditions are important in maintaining healthy indoor environments. These are influenced both by the HVAC systems of the building and by the building itself. The thermal environment is being researched through CFD simulations and by performing measurements in an HVAC test chamber located in the research group’s laboratory. Special equipment, such as a custom thermal manikin and a multi-gas analyser are used in the measurements.

Multi-objective optimisation tool – MOBO

In collaboration with VTT, the research group has developed a multi-objective optimisation tool called MOBO. MOBO can be coupled with virtually any (simulation) program producing the objective function values. MOBO is initially designed for building performance optimisation, but can be used for many other applications as well. The user can give discrete or continuous variables, make algebraic formulas of optimisation parameters and set constraints. MOBO features several different optimisation algorithms containing evolutionary, deterministic, hybrid, exhaustive and random algorithms. The user is advised to read the manual that comes with the MOBO installation.

In order to download MOBO and/or its source code, please participate in this survey and fill in your contact details to get the download link.

Personnel: Professor Risto Kosonen, Professor Risto Lahdelma, Professor Kai Siren, Professor Sanna Syri, Professor Markku Virtanen