MODELING BALANCED LOCAL ENERGY SYSTEM OPERATION IN THE CONTEXT OF DECARBONIZATION

The strategic objective of achieving climate neutrality in the energy sector requires not only the decarbonization of electricity generation but also the transition to low-carbon sources in the heating sector. A key driver of this transition is the large-scale deployment of solar and wind power plants, whose variable and poorly predictable output creates significant systemic challenges. Limited system flexibility often leads to curtailment of surplus renewable capacity in order to maintain the supply-demand balance. With a high share of wind and solar capacity, centralized district heating networks can play a stabilizing role by absorbing surplus generation. Sector coupling of electricity and heating through Power-to-Heat technologies supports renewable integration, enhances system flexibility, and accelerates decarbonization. Power-to-Heat systems are highly efficient in heat production and have minimal environmental impact when directly consuming renewable electricity. Flexible demand enabled by these technologies is crucial to achieving high shares of renewables in the energy mix. Modeling the operation of a local integrated energy supply system with substantial wind and solar capacity demonstrates its ability to maintain balance under uneven daily load profiles and the stochastic nature of renewable generation. This is achieved by combining battery energy storage with Power-to-Heat solutions, while maximizing local generation. The modeling ensures that hourly electricity demand from end-users connected to the local grid and the annual heat demand of district heating consumers in the community are jointly met. The results show that surplus wind power at night and excess solar output at midday are effectively absorbed by storage systems and electric boilers, which convert electricity into heat for district heating. As a result, natural gas boiler output is reduced, avoiding 80 tons of CO₂ emissions over the heating season. Thus, the integration of Power-to-Heat for surplus renewable consumption proves effective both in reducing curtailment and in substituting part of natural gas boiler capacity, thereby contributing to the decarbonization of both electricity and heating supply. Bibl. 23, Tab. 4, Fig. 5.