Sector Coupling in the District: Selected Implementation Projects for Future Renewable Energy Supply

Abstract:
Decarbonisation or transformation measures such as flexibilisation, hybridisation and digitalisation are crucial for the successful implementation of the energy transition. Therefore, it is necessary to develop solutions for fluctuating and time-shifted generation and load in renewable energy systems. Coupling the electricity, heat and mobility sectors, com-bined with energy storage, can have a significant impact on stabilizing the energy system. The ability of load shifting in a hybrid energy system can reduce peak loads on the power grid. This can prevent over-utilization and over-expansion. In two selected projects, sector coupling is implemented through hybrid grid structures and multimodal energy supply. The supply systems are developed for two districts in Germany as use cases for investigation. Power-to-Heat (PtH) and Power-to-Gas (PtG) systems, such as district heating grids, are implemented and run with optimized operational man-agement. In this context, the respective project objectives and achieved results are described.