Flexible electricity use for heating in markets with renewable energy. (15th May 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Schill, Wolf-Peter; Zerrahn, Alexander
• Is Part Of: Applied energy. Volume 266(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-05-15
• Subjects: Power-to-heat -- Electric heating -- Renewable energy integration -- Energy storage -- Demand-side management -- Decarbonization -- Power system model; Power (Mechanics) -- Periodicals; Energy conservation -- Periodicals; Energy conversion -- Periodicals; 621.042
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.114571
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0306-2619

Abstract

Highlights: Electric heating can contribute to decarbonization and provide flexibility for renewable integration. Analysis of electric storage heaters for German 2030 scenarios with open-source electricity sector model. Temporally flexible charging of storage heaters provides only small benefits. Electric storage heaters not suited to align seasonal mismatch between renewables and heat demand. Flexible power-to-heat generally fosters use of generation technologies with low variable costs. Abstract: Using electricity for heating can contribute to decarbonization and provide flexibility to integrate variable renewable energy. We analyze the case of electric storage heaters in German 2030 scenarios with an open-source electricity sector model. We find that flexible electric heaters generally increase the use of generation technologies with low variable costs, which are not necessarily renewables. Yet making customary night-time storage heaters temporally more flexible offers only moderate benefits because renewable availability during daytime is limited in the heating season. Respective investment costs accordingly have to be very low in order to realize total system cost benefits. As storage heaters feature only short-term heat storage, they also cannot reconcile the seasonal mismatch of heat demand in winter and high renewable availability in summer. Future research should evaluate the benefits of longer-term heat storage.