Energy supply with micro-CHP for a residential unit with electric vehicle

In the frame of a research project, the energy production for a residential unit including its mobility by micro-CHP was simulated in detail. Several variations of energetic building standards, of types of energy generation and of energy carriers were investigated. They were compared to reference scenarios in respect of primary energy consumption and environmental impact. For the building use, standard data published in Swiss standards were used. For the mobility, profiles had to be generated based on statistical census data. The results show that micro-CHP systems are coequal to the “progressive” scenario based on a heat pump and an electric vehicle in respect of primary energy consumption. Regarding greenhouse gas emissions, they are considerably better than the “conservative” scenario based on a gas boiler and a gasoline vehicle, but not quite as good as the “progressive” scenario. Micro CHP complement ideally PV in the seasonal distribution, and with an adequate control strategy they can increase massively the consumption on site of the generated electrical energy and therefore decrease the grid load.