Modeling the flexibility offered by coupling the heating sector and the power sector: an assessment at the EU leve.

Abstract

This paper explores the opportunities offered by the coupling between the power sector and the heating sector at the EU level. In particular, the aim is to quantify the amount of flexibility offered by heat pumps and CHP within district heating systems. To that aim, the EU version of DISPA-SET (an open-source unit commitment and optimal dispatch model covering the whole EU28 plus Switzerland and Norway) is used and adapted to take into account thermal storage coupled to district heating. If not smart management of district heating and thermal storage are applied, the effects of introducing combined generation and heat pumps are sometimes adverse. Higher peak loads and reduced flexibility caused by contractual obligations to deliver heat may not always facilitate the penetration of renewable energy in the energy system. However, by unlocking the flexibility linked to thermal storage, significant reductions in peak electricity demand are achieved and renewable energy curtailment is reduced. This reduction is highly dependent on the penetration of thermal storage and variable renewable energy in the system. To ensure the transparency and the reproducibility of the work, the model, together with the input data, are released as open-source and open-data. Both can therefore readily be adapted and re-used to simulate alternative scenarios.