An Evaluation of Distributed Solar Thermal "Net Metering" in Small-scale District Heating Systems. (November 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Pietra, B. Di; Zanghirella, F.; Puglisi, G.
• Is Part Of: Energy procedia. Volume 78(2015)
• Page Start: 1859
• Page End: 1864
• Publication Date: 2015-11
• Subjects: District heating -- Solar thermal -- Net metering -- Distributed generation -- Prosumers.; Power resources -- Congresses; Power resources -- Periodicals; Power resources; Conference proceedings; Periodicals; 333.7905
• DOI: 10.1016/j.egypro.2015.11.335
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1876-6102

Abstract

Abstract: In this paper the presence of customers (prosumers), connected to a District Heating Systems (DHS), that not only can consume but also produce district heating by means of small-scale solar collectors, and that can use the DHS as a virtual storage for the thermal energy produced and not immediately used, with the possibility to use it later, is investigated. Three configurations were simulated: (1) absence of solar thermal system, (2) solar thermal system not connected to the DHS, (3) solar thermal system feeding a local heat storage, connected to the DHS by a single bi-directional heat exchanger. The results show that for the connected configuration, the thermal solar system can overcome the limited production of the isolated configuration during summer, producing thermal energy to feed the DHS, and that the thermal energy produced annually is more than 100% the annual energy needs of the single family house for space heating and domestic heat water.