Power-to-heat for area heating might drive wind and solar

• Researchers state the innovation could aid drive clean power deployment in nations with limited grids or in separated, coal-based energy systems. According to their version, Kosovo might see a solid boost in wind and PV ability if power-to-heat is coupled with thermal energy storage space for fixed-capacity district home heating.

Power-to-heat innovation could aid increase renewables release in nations with restricted grid capacities and in separated, coal-based energy systems, according to scientists from Kosovo's University of Pristina, the Naval Architecture University of Zagreb as well as Denmark's Aalborg University.

The Increasing the assimilation of variable renewable energy in coal-based power system making use of power to heat innovations: The situation of Kosovo paper, published in Energy and also on the ScienceDirect internet site, outlines just how big range solar as well as wind projects could generate power for power-to-heat systems in presently coal-fired Kosovo, boosting power system reliability without the need for new grid facilities.

The scientists claimed power-to-heat projects can offer flexibility for the Kosovan energy system-- depending on the capability of interconnection cables with bordering countries; existing flexibility potential for the electricity used in home heating, cooling, power as well as transportation; and minimal operating capacity for thermal power plants, to name a few advantages.

Model

A network was modeled making use of EnergyPLAN software application, which replicates the operation of nationwide energy systems.

2 scenarios were examined, to take a look at the function of area heating, different ranges of power-to-heat systems and also just how much tidy power generation could be deployed. A recommendation circumstance was based upon the energy supply as well as demand information for Kosovo in 2015 and included 75.5 MW of hydropower generation capability plus 600 kW of solar and 1.3 MW of wind. The majority of the country's power in 2015 was generated by the coal-fired, 40-year-old Kosovo A Power Station (345 MW) near Pristina as well as the 27-year old Kosovo B Power Station (540 MW) in Obilić, plus imports from Balkan next-door neighbors.

District home heating was broadened to satisfy half the nation's warmth demand in a second scenario modeled by the scientists, with different power-to-heat capabilities thought about.

The potential for solar and also wind generation capacity in the non-power-to-heat referral circumstance was limited to 300 MW and also 400 MW, specifically, the researchers located. Those figures climbed by 385 MW as well as 800 MW with the enhancement of power-to-heat coupled with thermal energy storage for fixed-capacity area heating.

" It has been shown that even in a very well interconnected power system, power-to-heat will provide enough system flexibility to integrate a high share of wind infiltration," the scientists mentioned. "The payment of power-to warm innovations for PV infiltration in existing power systems, based on coal, is not that substantial because the power production from PV takes place throughout the summer months when the heating season finishes."

Kosovo is intending to tender its first huge scale PV project and also just recently raised its renewable resource target to an additional 400 MW of capacity by 2026. That would be enough to meet a quarter of its power demand.