CHESS SETUP project: energy self-consumption and building retrofitting

Chess Setup is a project funded by the European Commission, started in 2016 in the framework of the H2020 program and lead by Barcelona Ecologia. The project addresses the growing needs of heating and domestic hot water (DHW)... [ view full abstract ]

Chess Setup is a project funded by the European Commission, started in 2016 in the framework of the H2020 program and lead by Barcelona Ecologia. The project addresses the growing needs of heating and domestic hot water (DHW) in the building sector by proposing and testing a retrofitting solution based on the integration of renewable energy sources, and thermal energy storage capabilities.  

The system is a combination of tested and approved technologies: hybrid photovoltaic and solar thermal (PV-ST) panels, seasonal thermal storage tanks and heat pumps. This set of tools will allow the buildings to be heating and DHW self-sufficient during the sunny months, and to rely on their heat reserves the rest of the year.

 To ensure the reliability of the system, a simulation software was developed by the consortium. Indeed, taking into account the geographic location, and several parameters related to the building, it provides the optimum dimensions of the hybrid solar panels and of the water tank. A further analysis was held in order to select the most efficient heat pumps and mixtures to supply them. 

To confirm the software’s forecasts, the system is currently being implemented in three pilot cases including two of them in Catalonia;

• A small-scale prototype on Lavola’s headquarters in Manlleu (Spain),
• At a district-level in households under construction Corby (United-Kingdom),
• In a sport centre in Sant-Cugat (Spain).

Later on, the consortium will study further applications for the system;

• Its ability to contribute to a smarter grid, supplying the main grid with electricity produced by the solar panels.

• The adaptation capacity of the system, taking into account the electricity prices and the inertia given by the water tank, to optimize the decision to use the heat stored, or to rely on the distribution network.

 Thus, the project faces the selfconsumption challenge in urban areas, proposing a solution both for new buildings and existent ones.

 A business model will be edited, in order to make the project’s industrialization profitable.