Analysis of the power-to-heat potential in the European energy system

The European power system is currently experiencing new challenges due to growing shares of intermittent renewable energy sources. Compared to other flexibility options, power-to-heat (PtH) technologies have a high level of maturity. The goal is, therefore, to analyse the potential for PtH in the European energy system and possible business models that enable the exploitation of these potentials. A literature review on the European and country-level potential for PtH is carried out revealing a wide range of these potentials. An own approach assesses the potential in district heating for selected European countries. PtH potential makes up a remarkable share of the peak electrical load, but varies due to the inhomogeneous nature of the investigated national energy systems and different weather conditions. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.