# US 2020/0393154 A1 · Exploitation of a photovoltaic system coupled to a joint water boiler-air/air heat pump air conditioning system

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- Number: US 2020/0393154 A1
- Document ID: US20200393154A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/442,213
- Filed: 2019-06-14
- Published: 2020-12-17
- Earliest claimed: 2019-06-14
- Assignees: Albasolar S.R.L.
- Applicants: ALBASOLAR S.r.l.
- Inventors: Massimo Marengo
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20200393154A1

## CPC

- F24F 11/46: Improving electric energy efficiency or saving
- F24D 3/005: {combined with solar energy (solar heat collectors per se F24S)}
- F24D 19/1078: {the system uses a heat pump and solar energy}
- F24F 11/65: for selecting an operating mode
- F24F 11/88: Electrical aspects, e.g. circuits
- G05B 19/042: using digital processors (G05B19/05 takes precedence)
- H02S 50/00: Monitoring or testing of PV systems, e.g. load balancing or fault identification
- F24F 2140/50: Load
- F24F 2140/60: Energy consumption
- G05B 2219/2614: HVAC, heating, ventillation, climate control
- G05B 2219/2639: Energy management, use maximum of cheap power, keep peak load low
- Y02B 10/70: Hybrid systems, e.g. uninterruptible or back-up power supplies integrating renewable energies
- Y02E 10/50: Photovoltaic [PV] energy
- F24F: AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING (removing dirt or fumes from areas where they are produced B08B15/00; vertical ducts for carrying away waste gases from buildings E04F17/02; tops for chimneys or ventilating shafts, terminals for flues F23L17/02)
- F24D: DOMESTIC- OR SPACE-HEATING SYSTEMS, e.g. CENTRAL HEATING SYSTEMS; DOMESTIC HOT-WATER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; ELEMENTS OR COMPONENTS THEREFOR (using steam or condensate extracted or exhausted from steam engine plants for heating purposes F01K17/02)
- G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G)
- H02S: GENERATION OF ELECTRIC POWER BY CONVERSION OF INFRARED RADIATION, VISIBLE LIGHT OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT, e.g. USING PHOTOVOLTAIC [PV] MODULES (obtaining electrical energy from radioactive sources G21H1/12; light sensitive inorganic semiconductor devices H10F; light sensitive organic semiconductor devices H10K30/00; thermoelectric devices H10N10/00; pyroelectric devices H10N15/00)
- Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

## Abstract

In a joint water boiler-air/air heat pump air conditioning system coupled to a photovoltaic system and intended to air condition a closed environment formed by one or more rooms and comprising an electrical system to which electrical appliances are connected, an electronic control system is programmed to compute electrical power production of the photovoltaic system and electrical power consumption of the electrical appliances in the closed environment, and, based thereon, a surplus electrical power production of the photovoltaic system with respect to the electrical power consumption of the electrical appliances in the closed environment. If a surplus of electrical power production of the photovoltaic system is determined to exist with respect to the electrical power consumption of the electrical appliances in the closed environment, it may be determined how many indoor units of the hot/cold air/air heat pump system can be electrically supplied simultaneously with the electrical power surplus.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An electronic control system for a joint water boiler-air/air heat pump air conditioning system coupled to a photovoltaic system and intended to air condition a closed environment formed by one or more rooms and comprising an electrical system to which electrical appliances are connected;
the joint water boiler-air/air heat pump air conditioning system comprising:
a radiator heating system comprising a water boiler to produce hot water, and one or more radiators intended to be installed in the rooms of the closed environment, fluidically connected to the water boiler to be flown through by the hot water produced by the water boiler, and equipped with thermostatic valves to set desired temperatures in the rooms of the closed environment in which they are installed; and
a hot/cold air/air heat pump system comprising one or more outdoor units intended to be installed outside the closed environment, and one or more indoor units intended to be installed in the rooms of the closed environment;
the electronic control system comprising:
one or more (chrono)thermostats intended to be installed in one or more of the rooms of the closed environment to switch the water boiler on and off;
a network board associated with each indoor unit of the hot/cold air/air heat pump system to remote control operation of the associated indoor unit;
an electronic electrical power meter connected to the photovoltaic system, the electrical appliances in the closed environment, and public electrical power mains to measure electrical power production of the photovoltaic system and electrical power absorbed from, or supplied to, the public electrical power mains as a result of an electrical power underproduction or overproduction of the photovoltaic system with respect to the electrical power consumption of the electrical appliances in the closed environment; and
an electronic control unit connected to the (chrono)thermostats of the water boiler, the network boards of the indoor units of the hot/cold air/air heat pump system, and the electronic electrical power meter, provided with a display through which a user can interact with the joint water boiler-air/air heat pump an conditioning system, and programmed to manage the joint water boiler-air/air heat pump air conditioning system based on the electrical power production of the photovoltaic system;
the electronic control unit being programmed to:
allow operating modes to be selected and operation of the joint water boiler-air/air heat pump air conditioning system to be programmed, and information on the operation of the joint water boiler-air/air heat pump air conditioning system to be displayed on the display;
allow switch on/off priorities and temperatures of the indoor units of the hot/cold air/air heat pump system to be programmed,
receive data from the (chrono)thermostats of the water boiler, the network boards of the indoor units of the hot/cold air/air heat pump system, and the electronic electrical power meter;
compute, based on the received data, electrical power production of the photovoltaic system and electrical power consumption of the electrical appliances in the closed environment and, based thereon, electrical power production of the photovoltaic system in surplus of the electrical power consumption of the electrical appliances in the closed environment; and
when a surplus of electrical power production of the photovoltaic system with respect to the electrical power consumption of the electrical appliances in the closed environment is determined to exist, switch on the indoor units of the hot/cold air/air heat pump system based on the surplus of electrical power production of the photovoltaic system with respect to the electrical power consumption of the electrical appliances in the closed environment.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The electronic control system of claim 1, wherein the electronic control unit is programmed:
when a surplus of electrical power production of the photovoltaic system with respect to the electrical power consumption of the electrical appliances in the closed environment is determined to exist, determine how many indoor units of the hot/cold air/air heat pump system can be electrically supplied simultaneously with the electrical power surplus;
when the surplus of electrical power production of the photovoltaic system with respect to the electrical power consumption of the electrical appliances in the closed environment is determined to be enough to electrically supply one or more indoor units of the hot/cold air/air heat pump system simultaneously, check whether there are indoor units of the hot/cold air/air heat pump system that are scheduled to be simultaneously switched on; and
if there are indoor units of the hot/cold air/air heat pump system that are scheduled to be simultaneously switched on, switch on those indoor units of the hot/cold air/air heat pump system that are scheduled to be switched on based on the programmed switch on priorities and in a number no greater than the maximum number of indoor units of the hot/cold air/air heat pump system that can be electrically supplied simultaneously with the electrical power surplus of the photovoltaic system.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The electronic control system of claim 1, wherein the electronic control unit is further programmed to allow hierarchical selections to be made and comprises:
a main selection between a manual operating mode and an automatic operating mode,
in the automatic operating mode, a secondary selection between a heating mode, a cooling mode and a dehumidification mode, and
both in heating mode and in cooling mode, a tertiary selection between an operating mode suitable for when people are present in the closed environment, an operating mode suitable for when no people are present in the closed environment, and a specific operating mode for exploiting only the electrical power production of the photovoltaic system.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The electronic control system of claim 3, wherein the electronic control unit is further programmed to switch on the indoor units of the hot/cold air/air heat pump system based on the electrical power surplus of the photovoltaic system both in the heating mode and in the cooling mode.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The electronic control system of claim 3, wherein in the automatic operating mode suitable for when people are present in the closed environment, the electronic control unit is further programmed to:
check whether temperatures set on the (chrono)thermostats can be reached in a predetermined period of time using only the indoor units of the hot/cold air/air heat pump system,
in the affirmative, maintain the water boiler switched off and switch an only the indoor units of the hot/cold air/air heat pump system, and
in the negative, to switch on both the water boiler and the indoor units of the hot/cold air/air heat pump system, also in the presence of a surplus of electrical power production of the photovoltaic system with respect to the electrical power consumption of the electrical appliances in the closed environment.

### Claim 6 (depends on 3)

The electronic control system of claim 3, wherein in the automatic operating mode suitable for when no people are present in the closed environment, the electronic control unit is further programmed to:
air condition the closed environment using only the indoor units of the hot/cold air/air heat pump system during the day, and
switch on the water boiler only when the electrical power surplus of the photovoltaic system has been used up.

### Claim 7

Software loadable in an electronic control unit of an electronic control system of a joint water boiler-air/air heat pump air conditioning system coupled to a photovoltaic system and designed to cause, when executed, the electronic control unit to become programmed as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.