Solar PV driven hybrid gravity power module-Vanadium redox flow battery energy storage for an energy efficient multi-storied building

This article presents an innovative perspective of using a gravity energy storage system namely gravity power module (GPM) around a multi-storied building. Two number of GPMs have been vertically fixed around the walls of a multi-storied building and have not been placed underground following the traditional way. The grid-connected proposed hybrid system consisting of solar PV, GPMs and vanadium redox flow battery is focused to supply the maximum possible amount of an essential load of a high-riser, through renewable energy. All of the storage systems are charged through solar PV. Whereas, the grid is used, to procure energy for the unmet load demand and sell the excess renewable energy. Results simulated for each month following seasonal load variation show that net energy supplied by the hybrid system is 99% of the full load demand of essential equipment of the building for the month of February and 90% to 91% for the month of January, November and December. During all the months, the supply of gravity energy storage is restricted to supply within the 18th to 24th hour to reduce the peak demand of the grid. The gravity energy storage is also considered as the primary storage system during those intervals. The yearly average of energy supply from the renewable resource in the proposed system toward the building load is found to be 47.77%. While considering the renewable energy sale toward the grid along the load supply of the building the yearly average of renewable energy penetration becomes 48.89%.

Automated summary

This article presents an innovative perspective of using a gravity energy storage system around a multi-storied building to supply renewable energy. The proposed hybrid system consisting of solar PV, gravity power modules (GPMs), and vanadium redox flow battery can provide a significant amount of the building's essential load. Simulation results show that the system can meet a high percentage of the load demand while reducing the peak demand from the grid.