Grid Integration of Smart Buildings through Distributed Energy Resource Masking

Abstract

The electric power grid is undergoing the largest transformation in its history, one that involves the decentralization of generation, transportation, and dynamic utilization. Distributed energy resources (DER) play a crucial role in this transformation. However, one type of DER has been under-utilized: the "smart building." While it is broadly accepted that smart buildings can provide various grid services such as demand response and load shaping, they are usually treated separately from other DERs, hindering larger-scale adoption. This paper introduces a masking approach for smart buildings which presents their capabilities as conventional DER. This allows rapid integration into existing DER management tools which boosts their accessibility as dynamic grid resource. The conducted case study using a prototypical medium office building revealed that such smart building can be masked as up to 17.2 kW of distributed generation and up to 137.6 kWh of distributed energy storage, while following the same system integration as conventional DERs.