Project description
In the course of the energy transition and the associated expansion of renewable energies, new tasks also lie ahead in the heat supply sector. In addition to the possibility of using electrical energy generated from renewable energy sources for heating with the sector-coupling "power-to-heat" concept, solar thermal energy is a technology that uses solar radiation directly to generate heat.
In order to counteract the disadvantage of dependence on fluctuating supply, solar thermal energy needs to be combined with other technologies. In combination with combined heat and power generation or thermal energy storage systems, for example, but also with power-to-heat, a technology mix can be created that enables an increased share of renewable energy in the heat supply.
The question of what contribution such concepts can actually make to climate protection depends on whether such plants are built and how they are operated. It can be assumed that economic efficiency will be the decisive criterion for both from the point of view of potential operators.
This project investigates under which circumstances which technical concepts for solar thermal-based heat supply are economically attractive for investors and operators and to what extent this has a positive impact on the energy supply system.
For this purpose, different technical concepts are simulated in various scenarios in the sense of an economically optimal system operation. The attractiveness of the concepts and their system effect are assessed on the basis of the operating data determined and the boundary conditions derived from the surrounding supply system and the plant itself. The identification of economically viable concepts provides guidance on how heating supply companies can make an additional contribution to climate protection in a future-proof and economically viable manner.
