Hybrid energy grids are systems in which existing individual grids (e.g. electricity, district heating and gas) are interconnected. The system consists of two key elements:
- Coupling Points, e.g gas boilers (gas-to-heat), heat pumps (electricity-to-heat) and gas power plants (gas-to-electricity);
- Controlling Infrastructure.
The OrPHEuS consortium tried to develop a suitable control architecture and analyse the benefits of the proposed system. The new technology has been deployed in two demonstration sites. The consortium claims that the coupling of electric and heating grids controlled by adapted control systems allowed for an increased use of distributed renewable energy sources in a cost-efficient manner.
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