An educational tool to optimize the consumption of primary energy in thermal-based distributed energy systems

The use of highly energy-efficient technologies is an important tool to tackle today's energy and environmental challenges. The importance of these technologies creates a need to focus on the development of energy courses as part of the engineering curriculum. In such energy-related courses, user-friendly applications such as MS Excel can be used to enhance educational goals like the assessment of the energy consumption of these energy-efficient technologies. This research paper presents the MS Excel-based tool developed to minimize the consumption of fossil fuel-based primary energy of a Distributed Energy (DE) system, which includes base Combined Heat and Power (CHP), Thermal Energy Storage (TES), and a boiler. Moreover, an educational component comprises the utilization of a MS Excel tool to help students estimate the system's minimum primary energy consumption. Results show that the combined use of base CHP and TES in a DE system can lead to a considerable decrease in primary energy consumption. The accessibility and familiarity of many students and companies with MS Excel can be an impactful educational tool for assessing the development of DE systems.