District heating networks (DHN) present a significant opportunity for decarbonising the heating sector, which accounts for 40% of total energy consumption in Europe. Despite being a well-established technology, the integration of renewable energy (RE) in DHNs remains underutilized. The increased use of heat pumps (HP), transformation measures, and the implementation of hybrid grid structures have significant potential to increase the share of RE, reduce primary energy demand and CO2 emissions from district heating. To capitalise on this potential, this study presents a comprehensive simulation and evaluation of Hybrid Grid Solutions (HGS). It investigates different heat supply scenarios in a southern German town, comparing a reference scenario using a conventional DHN with two innovative HGS. The HGS scenarios incorporate rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems for domestic energy appliances and decentralised thermal energy storage (TES) systems. In these scenarios, TES facilitates the integration of excess PV power into the heat supply through sector coupling technologies, including electrical resistances and air-to-water HPs. The first HGS scenario relies on waste heat, while the second consists of two distinct DHNs: one operates at a low temperature (45 °C) supplied by a large groundwater HP, and the other at 80 °C, using waste heat. Each scenario is modelled and simulated over a one-year period using MATLAB Simulink with the CARNOT Toolbox. The results show a significant reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for the first HGS, primarily due to the utilization of excess PV power. However, an analysis of the second scenario reveals challenges related to GHG emissions from the large HP, as approximately half of its energy supply is derived from an electricity grid characterised by a high primary energy factor. This study provides valuable insights into the conceptualization of HGS, emphasizing the integration of RE while addressing associated challenges.
Influence of sector coupling on a district heating system in a German town: thermal simulation and comparison of different supply scenarios
Laura Vallese;Michele De Carli;
2025
Abstract
District heating networks (DHN) present a significant opportunity for decarbonising the heating sector, which accounts for 40% of total energy consumption in Europe. Despite being a well-established technology, the integration of renewable energy (RE) in DHNs remains underutilized. The increased use of heat pumps (HP), transformation measures, and the implementation of hybrid grid structures have significant potential to increase the share of RE, reduce primary energy demand and CO2 emissions from district heating. To capitalise on this potential, this study presents a comprehensive simulation and evaluation of Hybrid Grid Solutions (HGS). It investigates different heat supply scenarios in a southern German town, comparing a reference scenario using a conventional DHN with two innovative HGS. The HGS scenarios incorporate rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems for domestic energy appliances and decentralised thermal energy storage (TES) systems. In these scenarios, TES facilitates the integration of excess PV power into the heat supply through sector coupling technologies, including electrical resistances and air-to-water HPs. The first HGS scenario relies on waste heat, while the second consists of two distinct DHNs: one operates at a low temperature (45 °C) supplied by a large groundwater HP, and the other at 80 °C, using waste heat. Each scenario is modelled and simulated over a one-year period using MATLAB Simulink with the CARNOT Toolbox. The results show a significant reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for the first HGS, primarily due to the utilization of excess PV power. However, an analysis of the second scenario reveals challenges related to GHG emissions from the large HP, as approximately half of its energy supply is derived from an electricity grid characterised by a high primary energy factor. This study provides valuable insights into the conceptualization of HGS, emphasizing the integration of RE while addressing associated challenges.
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