• A comprehensive approach to efficient design, implementation and operation of small- and large-scale photovoltaic (PV) systems in the built environment will be provided. Various calculators and simulation tools can be used to design PV systems. Rhino/Grasshopper software will be used for geometry definition, as well as high-resolution irradiance and shading analysis. Then, various PV layouts will be prepared and customised in accordance with the structure, shading patterns, orientation, tilt, etc. Advanced PV models will be developed in Matlab/Simulink and used to evaluate the highresolution output of PV systems. In addition, electrical energy storage units will be optimally sized to mitigate the volatility of PV systems. The overall design of the energy solutions will be assessed based on the available measured data from an actual nZEB. Machine learning will be used to augment the actual measured data according to the available historical weather data at the location in question. Thus, the validated models will be used to assess the long-term flexibility of different scenarios, considering control and management strategies based on energy costs and ancillary grid services that maximise self-consumption and seasonal heat storage capacity. Additional concepts such as V2G/V2H will also be considered.
• A guide to cost-effective technical solutions in order to promote the use of renewable energy in the prosumer energy communities will be developed. As a result, a detailed technical guide will be developed on typical technical solutions that will allow end-users to pick a design and select the most optimal cost-effective technical solution for it. Prosumer energy communities will provide residents and small communities with clean and renewable energy, reduce energy consumption and dependence on other energy suppliers, ensure self-government, and allow control of energy costs.
• The impact of some nearly zero energy buildings will be limited, and the community as a whole will no longer be zero energy. A more practical approach to achieving nearly zero energy goals is to expand the nearly zero energy zone beyond a single building while viewing a group of buildings as a community so that the community itself becomes a nearly zero energy community. Successful introduction of such communities requires community members to actively participate in the integration of renewable energy into energy systems and energy efficiency programmes and jointly support the goal of nearly zero energy consumption. Therefore, based on an in-depth analysis of the best practices of previous partners’ projects in the field of Energy Communities and the use of TRNSYS software, various strategies will be analysed to find the best solution, taking into account different regional scales and energy profiles. It is planned to develop several scenarios for nearly zero energy building communities and submit them to the Ministry of Economy, municipalities, and regional energy agencies. The results of the study will also be useful for real estate developers, designers and engineers to test the best optimal energy communities, taking into account different types of building groups, the possibility of renewable energy, and other factors.

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