Load management potential of buildings in the context of the future energy supply in Germany

The planned turnaround in energy policy in Germany to a sustainable energy supply leads us to expect a paradigm shift from current principles of consumption-oriented supply to generation-oriented consumption. Such a change in energy supply also requires a new infrastructure where energy storage plays an important role and where supplier and consumer are intelligently connected. Current passive consumers such as buildings can be adjusted in their consumption characteristics (load management) to become active participants in the energy system (smart grid). Previous studies confirmed that buildings offer a high thermal potential for load management due to existing storage masses in the building structure. In the planned research project of TU Munich the thermal storage potential of buildings will be examined in a holistic model of the German energy system. The study analyzes which impacts and chances the intelligent integration of buildings as storages have on the energy system (e.g. influence on the operation of power plants, development of producing and storing capacities). Moreover the analysis can depict which expansion and renovation scenarios of the existing buildings or which optimum between storage capacity and required insulation is effective from the point of view of the energy system.