1. Residential solar pre-cooling and pre-heating: H1 Opportunity Assessment
- Author
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Wilmot, Kerryn, Wang, Wendy Shiqiao, Rutowitz, Jay, Heslop, Simon, McGill, Iain, Bruce, Anna, Chen, Dong, White, Stephen, Lau, Tim, Bruno, Frank, Boland, John, Evans, Michael E., Miller, Wendy, Ma, Yunlong, Susilawati, Connie, Arlinkasari, Fitri, Wilmot, Kerryn, Wang, Wendy Shiqiao, Rutowitz, Jay, Heslop, Simon, McGill, Iain, Bruce, Anna, Chen, Dong, White, Stephen, Lau, Tim, Bruno, Frank, Boland, John, Evans, Michael E., Miller, Wendy, Ma, Yunlong, Susilawati, Connie, and Arlinkasari, Fitri
- Abstract
This Opportunity Assessment is a scoping study to determine what is currently understood about residential solar pre-cooling and pre-heating (SPC/H) and therefore guide where RACE for 2030 should focus its research efforts. The intended outcome of SPC/H is to cost effectively shift solar energy from when it is abundant to when energy is required for heating and cooling. The purpose is to achieve grid load smoothing which is expected to address and peak demand and minimum demand, leading to lower customer electricity bills, and improved solar hosting capacity. This Opportunity Assessment constituted literature reviews and modelling. A desktop review of market status and industry practice identified the state of the industry, particularly what is working and not working. A further literature review, supplemented by interviews with experts and stakeholders representing consumer bodies and industry associations, studied the feasibility of SPC/H for Australian houses from the consumers’ perspective, looking at their attitudes to remote control, comfort expectations, and incentives. The reviews inform the analysis of barriers and solutions. As an input to the scenario analysis, a ‘suitable’ home was characterised by analysing the expected building performances at different house thermal efficiency levels. The scenario analysis estimated at high-level the number of homes with both air conditioning (AC) and PV systems that could effectively be pre-cooled or pre-heated to identify the technical and economic potential of SPC/H and indicatively quantify potential benefits and costs and the range of potential impacts on cost, peak load, potential for PV uptake, and emissions reduction. Through a series of workshops, conversations and document reviews, the delivery team identified priority research questions and business opportunities, including specific identification of knowledge gaps, required enabling technologies, and desirable demonstrations
- Published
- 2021