Hourly base operation schedule for Hourly Control of PV and Battery Operation in ElectricLoadCenter Objects::PVWatts, distribution, and NCM LiIon batteries

grasshopper honeybee
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Hi there,

I hope this message finds you well.

I am currently working on configuring the ElectricLoadCenter:Distribution, ElectricLoadCenter:Storage:LiIonNMCBattery, and ElectricLoadCenter:Generators:PVWatts objects, and I have a specific question regarding control based strictly on the hour of the day.

As per the Input Output Reference, the available Generator Operation Scheme Types under ElectricLoadCenter:Distribution include: Baseload, DemandLimit, TrackElectrical, TrackSchedule, TrackMeter, FollowThermal, and FollowThermalLimitElectrical. However, these modes appear to be fundamentally based on load demand—either electrical or thermal—and not time-based scheduling.

My objective is to exert time-dependent control over the electricity generated by PVs such that:

  • During certain hours, PV-generated electricity charges the battery only,
  • During other hours, PV generation is directed exclusively to meet the building’s demand,
  • During certain hours, batteries discharges
  • And at specific times, PV generation should not contribute to the building’s electrical load at all.

Is there a mechanism in EnergyPlus that allows such fine-grained, hourly control over on-site PV generation and its distribution between battery storage and building load?

Despite consulting the Input Output Reference, I have not found an explicit method to implement a time-based schedule for PV operation within the current object definitions.

I would sincerely appreciate any guidance or suggestions you may have to address this challenge.

Sincerely,
Behnam Mohseni Gharyehsafa
Maynooth, Ireland

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Hey @behnammmohseni ,

I don’t have enough EnergyPlus knowledge to set this up without studying the E+ input/output reference but, generally speaking, the question of “can I do this is EnergyPlus?” is typically “yes but sometimes you’ll be doing some IDF editing and you may need to know a lot about EMS.”

So, for questions about EnergyPlus like this, which don’t really relate to the LBT Grasshopper components or LBT core libraries, I recommend posting them to the Unmethours forum. A lot of the EnergyPlus developers and maintainers check that forum. Just note that the people over there won’t be asking for sample files in Grasshopper and they will instead want IDF or OSM files.

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