Simulation-Supported Testing of Smart Energy Product Prototypes

• Main Authors: Alonzo Sierra, Cihan Gercek, Stefan Übermasser, Angèle Reinders
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-05-01
• Series: Applied Sciences
• Subjects: smart product design; smart home technology; power systems simulation; energy management
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/9/10/2030

Smart energy products and services (SEPS) have a key role in the development of smart grids, and testing methods such as co-simulation and scenario-based simulations can be useful tools for evaluating the potential of new SEPS concepts during their early development stages. Three innovative conceptual designs for home energy management products (HEMPs)—a specific category of SEPS—were successfully tested using a simulation environment, validating their operation using simulated production and load profiles. For comparison with reality, end user tests were carried out on two of the HEMP concepts and showed mixed results for achieving more efficient energy use, with one of the concepts reducing energy consumption by 27% and the other increasing it by 25%. The scenario-based simulations provided additional insights on the performance of these products, matching some of the general trends observed during end user tests but failing to sufficiently approximate the observed results. Overall, the presented testing methods successfully evaluated the performance of HEMPs under various use conditions and identified bottlenecks, which could be improved in future designs. It is recommended that in addition to HEMPs, these tests are repeated with different SEPS and energy systems to enhance the robustness of the methods.