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Flexibility potential of heat pumps in Swedish thermal grids: for district heating companies and end users.

Number: 0394

Author(s) : SONG M., LANE A-L., LINDAHL M., WALFRIDSON T., YEBIYO M.

Summary

In a power system with a large share of intermittent sources, the need for flexibility to balance variations in electricity production will increase. Flexibility can also help to reduce problems with bottle necks in the electricity grids. An advantage of using a combination of heat pumping technology and thermal networks is the larger flexibility in heat production and storage options that it entails. This article discusses the potential of using the flexibility of heat pumps in Swedish thermal grids from the perspective of energy company and end users. In an interview study with district heating companies that have heat pumps in their thermal grids, possibilities and barriers to use heat pumps for flexibility was investigated. It was found that those who have heat pumps already use them for flexibility. Barriers for even more use was investment cost for new heat pumps. More frequent shifts are connected to organizational, behavioral, and technical barriers. The study also investigates the economic benefits for end users by utilizing the flexibility of heat pumps combined with district heating. Simulations are carried out for buildings located in different electricity price areas and climate zones in Sweden. It also considers different price scenarios for electricity, grid tariff, district heating and system services The result shows that the energy cost for end users could be effectively reduced by using the flexibility of the hybrid heating system. The cost saving potential varies among locations, price scenarios and the type of system services provided by the heat pump.

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Format PDF

Pages: 11 p.

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Details

  • Original title: Flexibility potential of heat pumps in Swedish thermal grids: for district heating companies and end users.
  • Record ID : 30031162
  • Languages: English
  • Subject: Technology
  • Source: 14th IEA Heat Pump Conference 2023, Chicago, Illinois.
  • Publication date: 2023/05/15

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