Versatility case study
The linking of electricity and heating sector through infrastructure and storable energy carriers is understood as sector coupling. It reflects a profound change in energy systems. The motivation is to maximize decarbonization with renewable energy sources in order to accomplish climate protection goals.
The given case study investigates the energy supply system of a small apartment building in Berlin with an annual electricity consumption of 135 MWh that also provides heating, hot water, and cooling. In the use case, the electrical load profile for the residential scenario with a peak load of 70 kW is assumed. The chosen scenario framework for the evaluation of the most suitable microgrid dimensions provides a trade-off between the aim of being applicable to a large range of potential customers and being as precise and consistent as possible. The optimum solution for the integrated energy case strongly reduces LCoE upto 37% for electricity, 55% for heating and 29% for cooling.
The resulting system dimensions are suitable to give the first impression for potential microgrid operators if a certain investment is rewarded with a gratifying payback time.