Academic Content & Certificates

Building Performance Simulation

Knowledge & Understanding
An introduction into the following topics will be given:

• modeling of climatic conditions, weather data, solar radiation (solar position, angle calculations, etc.)
• heat conduction
• heat convection
• short- and long-wave radiation exchange
• solar optical and thermal properties of glazing and window modeling
• single- and multi-zone models

Skills
After attending the course, the students will be able to

• understand the mathematical modelling of buildings for all sub-models,
• create numerical models out of the mathematic models discussed,
• implement those models in the modeling language Modelica,
• work in small student groups to implement the test examples.

Competencies
After successfully studying this module, students will be also able to

• model and understand the behaviour of large building complexes with respect to thermal properties,
• transfer the acquired knowledge to other domains, as the submodules are not only applicable to buildings only.

Energy Basics & Methods for Energy Supply of Buildings, The Campus Cube, Energy Management & Trading

Knowledge & Understanding

• The students learn the different methods of heat generation in buildings and calculation methods of peak heating demands and annual heating demands
• The students learn to understand energy systems with a high renewable energy share
• The students learn to understand energy systems and energy management systems based on different modelling approaches (i.e. optimization of generation plans, energy trading)

Skills

• The students will be enabled in calculating own heating demands and choosing from different equipments
• The students will be enabled to analyze complex energy systems and create energy management procedures (i.e. based on power system simulation and trading

Competencies

• The students will use their knowledge to plan and equip buildings in an optimized way minimizing the annual heating demand and reaching the target of an highly self sufficient building
• The students will use their knowledge to analyze, understand and simulate energy systems with high renewable energy shares

This Summer School introduces the mathematical and physical basics of building energy performance modeling and simulation, implementation of models using computer-based numerical methods, computer algebra systems and object-oriented modeling language Modelica. The following topics will be covered:

Building Performance Simulation
In the module “Building Performance Simulation” an introduction to building performance simulation will be given by presenting the mathematical and physical basics of building energy performance modeling and simulation, implementation of models using computer-based numerical methods, computer algebra systems and the object-oriented modeling language Modelica.

For this purpose, a detailed introduction into relevant individual aspects will be given, including: climatic conditions, weather data, solar radiation (solar position, angle calculations, etc.), heat conduction, convection, short- and long-wave radiation exchange, solar optical and thermal properties of glazing, window modeling, single- and multi-zone models. Selected sub-modules will be programmed by students individually.

Students will acquire the basic knowledge to carry out dynamic building simulations and to assess uncertainties. For this purpose, students will gain knowledge about different scales in a building simulation (environment, building, users) and learn appropriate modeling approaches for the mathematical description of the corresponding heat and mass transfer processes. This includes an insight into individual simulation modules, which students will develop on their own by means of didactically suitable programming tools.

Energy Basics & Methods for Energy Supply of Buildings
After a short review of energy basics (terms and definitions of energy, work, heat, power etc.), the lecture will present different methods of heat generation in buildings as heat pumps, solar thermal energy, photovoltaic and other renewable energy sources. It describes how the heating demand is covered today and could be covered in the future.

The Campus Cube
The Campus Cube is a hypothetical university building that (as an example) will be used to calculate the peak heating demand and the annual heating demand. After calculating the demands, it will be the students’ assignment developing ideas to equip the Campus Cube with an energy efficient technology.

Energy Management & Trading
After a general introduction into energy management, trading and plant operation, the focus will be laid on the electricity trading and a plant operation simulator. In small teams the students are going to learn how to operate a single power plant and a power plant portfolio using an online simulator. Trading will take place on a single market but also in a cross-border environment.