Simulation research on distributed energy system based on coupling of PV/T unit and wind-to-heat unit

•A novel distributed energy system based on PV/T and wind-to-heat unit is proposed.•The solar-to-thermal conversion performance s of new PV/T collector are simulated.•The performance of the twin-screw compressor as the key component is simulated.•The applicability of the system is proved to cover the requirements of three villas.•The novel system is an effective choice to achieve the renewable energy heating. With people's pursuit of high-quality life, building energy consumption is increasing. To expand the development and utilization of renewable energy in building energy supplement, a novel distributed energy system based on PV/T unit and wind-to-heat unit coupling is proposed. The PV/T unit, wind turbine, heat pump, ground heat source, and energy storage device, are combined together to generate heat and electricity. Different operational modes of the system under different conditions around one year are established. The mathematical model of the system is introduced. The solar-to-thermal conversion performances of a new PV/T collector are simulated under different working conditions. As the key component of wind-to-heat unit, the performance of the twin-screw compressor is investigated by simulation with various parameters. Finally, the applicability of the system is analyzed through a case study in Northeast China. The averaged heating power of the system is 184.45 kW, and the average generating power is 127.66 kW. The daily heat supply and the daily power generation are about 1.59 × 104 MJ and 1.28 × 103 kW·h, respectively, which can meet the building load of three villas. By the simulation results, the novel system is proved to be an effective choice to achieve the aim of multiple types of renewable energy combined heating.