Heat pump system (100) comprising at least one heat medium circuit (210,220,230,240,250,310,320,410,420,430,440,450,460) in turn comprising a compressor (211), an expansion valve (232,242), at least two different primary heat sources or sinks selected from outdoor air, a water body, the ground or exhaust air, at least one of two different secondary heat sources or sinks selected from indoors air, pool water and tap water, a respective temperature sensor (412,432) at each of said primary heat sources or sinks, a valve means (421,431,451) for selectively directing the primary-side heat medium to at least one of said primary heat exchanging means, and a control means (500). The invention is characterised in that, in a secondary-side heating operating mode, the temperature of said primary heat sources or sinks is measured, and in that the primary-side heat medium is directed only to available primary heat exchanging means associated with the heat sources or sinks with the highest temperature. The invention also relates to a method.

A distributed heating network comprising a plurality of individual heat pumps. Each heat pump is individually coupled to a common heat source of the network, the common heat source of the network comprising a liquid loop within the network, the liquid of the loop being maintained at close to ambient temperature through active heat management of the common heat source. The common heat source is further coupled to at least one energy source. A controller is configure to thermally decouple the energy source from the heat.

A system and method for providing useable source fluid from a thermal exchange unit and/or one or more thermal exchange and storage units is disclosed. Topologies described allow operation in an air source, a ground source, a preconditioning, a parallel and a simultaneous mode. In the air source mode conditioned source fluid is obtained exclusively from an air-to-liquid heat exchanger. In the ground source mode source fluid is obtained exclusively from a ground heat exchanger. In the preconditioning mode source fluid from the air-to-liquid heat exchanger is used to condition a ground heat exchanger. In the parallel mode source fluid is obtained from both the air-to-liquid heat exchanger and a ground heat exchangers. In the simultaneous mode, source fluid from the air-to-liquid heat exchanger is used to improve the thermal condition of a ground heat exchanger while source fluid for the heat pump is obtained from another ground heat exchanger.

The invention relates to a method of controlling an energy supply system comprising at least two energy generators each configured to provide at least one form of energy of heat and/or cold and/or electrical energy. The energy supply system further comprises one closed-loop controller per energy generator for controlling the energy generator and a control device coordinatedly controlling the closed-loop controllers. The control device detects an energy supply request for providing energy in the form of heat and/or cold and/or electrical energy and determines for each energy form which energy generators are required to meet the energy supply request. For each energy form, the control device generates switch-on requests for the energy generators required to meet the energy supply system and switch-off requests for the energy generators not required. For each energy generator, the control device determines if one, several or no switch-off request is present and if one, several or no switch-off request is present. For each energy generator for which there is at least one switch-on request present, a switch-on request is output to the corresponding closed-loop controller and, for each energy generator for which there is no switch-on request and at least one switch-off request present, a switch-off request is output to the corresponding closed-loop controller.

A heat pump system is disclosed comprising a heat-exchanger extracting latent heat from liquid stored in a reservoir, thereby forming an ice slurry. The heat pump also includes a device for delivering the heat to a heat consumer. The heat pump system includes a random input of extrinsic liquid into the reservoir and a device for removing ice slurry stored in the reservoir outward the system.

An operating method of a heat-storage system includes the steps of executing a first operating mode to supply heat to a first hydrogen storage alloy in a first tank, to cause movement of hydrogen from the first hydrogen storage alloy in the first tank to a second hydrogen storage alloy in a second tank, the second hydrogen storage alloy being different from the first hydrogen storage alloy in dissociation pressure characteristic with respect to an alloy temperature, and executing a second operating mode to supply cold of outside air to the first hydrogen storage alloy, to cause movement of hydrogen from the second hydrogen storage alloy in the second tank to the first hydrogen storage alloy in the first tank, in which the step of executing the first operating mode includes a step of storing a temperature generated in the second hydrogen storage alloy in a heat storage device.

A system and method for providing useable source fluid from a thermal exchange unit and/or one or more thermal exchange and storage units is disclosed. Topologies described allow operation in an air source, a ground source, a preconditioning, a parallel and a simultaneous mode. In the air source mode conditioned source fluid is obtained exclusively from an air-to-liquid heat exchanger. In the ground source mode source fluid is obtained exclusively from a ground heat exchanger. In the preconditioning mode source fluid from the air-to-liquid heat exchanger is used to condition a ground heat exchanger. In the parallel mode source fluid is obtained from both the air-to-liquid heat exchanger and a ground heat exchangers. In the simultaneous mode, source fluid from the air-to-liquid heat exchanger is used to improve the thermal condition of a ground heat exchanger while source fluid for the heat pump is obtained from another ground heat exchanger.

Appliances, such as hot water heaters, hot water heater controllers, and methods of operating such hot water heaters, that take into consideration the availability and capacity of alternative energy sources so that additional efficiencies can be realized by sensing the availability of an alternative energy source and adjusting the control algorithms used to control the use of the available electric power is provided.

A solar thermal assisted water heating system includes a thermal collector comprising a plurality of fluid channels configured to collect heat from a surface of a photovoltaic module, a drain-back tank coupled to the thermal collector, a first pump coupled to the drain-back tank and configured to pump fluid from the drain-back tank to the thermal collector, a first heat exchanger configured to receive fluid from the thermal collector, a heat pump coupled to the first heat exchanger and configured to remove heat from the fluid and heat water with the removed heat, and a controller configured to control the first pump and heat pump. The system may include a photovoltaic module and a hot water tank. These systems improve the efficiency of water heating, and the drain-back tank may serve as a thermal battery that stores heat and provides the stored heat when environmental temperatures decrease.

A climate control system is operated by receiving climate information from climate control input devices at one or more plugin modules. The climate information is communicated from the plugin modules to a main control unit, which determines operating instructions for climate output devices and air inlets. When it is detected that the main control unit is not operational, the control system switches to a standby control unit if so equipped. The climate information is then communicated from the plugin modules to the standby control unit. The standby control unit determines operating instructions for the climate output devices and air inlets based on the climate information. When it is detected that the standby control unit is also not operational, the plugin modules switch to an autonomous mode such that operating instructions for the climate output devices and air inlets are determined by the plugin modules.