A comparison of prosumer system configurations in district heating networks

Prosumer-based district heating networks attract an increasing interest in energy research. There are numerous publications addressing the prosumer integration into district heating networks with a focus on grid side operation. However, the operation of the prosumer side has not been extensively investigated in the literature where bidirectional heat transfer stations, heat generators, consumption and storages can be connected in different ways. These different connections have different influences on the district heating network operation that require deeper analysis and understanding. This paper evaluates the influence of using different prosumer side system configurations as well as their suitability for prosumer-based district heating networks. Beginning with the characteristics of possible prosumer side configurations this paper evaluates the applicability of these configurations according to the number of components and operational flexibility. Subsequently, the most promising subset of the evaluated configurations are simulated in realistic scenarios using SimulationX (R) software and its Green City toolbox to gain detailed insight into their operation and efficiency. The simulated configurations are analyzed with respect to exportable excess heat, grid temperatures and the overall efficiency of the heat supply. The configurations are studied in various scenarios that differ in heat generation type (heat pump, solar thermal collectors or combustion device) and the necessary supply temperatures on the prosumer and grid side. In conclusion, this paper provides a decision guidance to select the most suitable prosumer side configuration for a desired district heating network and consumption temperatures. (C) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Automated summary

This paper investigates the influence of different system configurations in prosumer-based district heating networks on network operation and provides decision guidance for selecting the most suitable configuration through simulation analysis.