OpenIDEAS – An Open Framework for integrated District Energy Simulations

Contemporary research focuses on net-zero energy buildings and their integration in larger energy systems. By consequence, a vast set of research questions become increasingly multi-domain and multiscale. With this increasing complexity, the need for more elaborate building energy simulation tools rises. The presented paper reviews the development of the OpenIDEAS framework, an open framework developed for integrated district energy simulations consisting of IDEAS,StROBe,FastBuildings and GreyBox to answer the new research questions rising in the multidisciplinary building energy domain. The Modelica IDEAS Library allows simultaneous transient simulation of thermal, control and electric systems at (building and at) feeder level. The Python StROBe Module provides boundary conditions for IDEAS depicting the stochastic modelling of residential receptacle loads, internal heat gains, space heating set point temperatures and hot water redraws. The Modelica FastBuildings Library implements low-order building models that are compatible with IDEAS. The PythonGreyBox Module implements a semi-automated parameter estimation tool to obtain grey-box models that may serve as controller model in a model predictive controller framework for IDEAS.