Solar Energy in Low Temperature District Heating

Abstract

Solar technologies are flexible and can be used for both centralized and decentralized energy production. The main aim of this article is to compare different solar technologies and configurations for integration into the DH system. The multi-criteria analyses method is used to rank different alternatives based on several criterions. The evaluation of criterions has been based on previous studies conducted. The multi-criteria analyses allow to compare different solar system alternatives that cannot be compared directly due to differences in their scale, type of energy produced and consumed, investment levels, etc. For the particular DH system researched, the most desirable solution is the PVT panel integration with an area of 1000 m2 which is aligned with the actual DH company’s power consumption. However, the results are strongly impacted by the assumed investment levels, efficiency of the technologies and other assumptions that could be further analysed by the help of sensitivity analyses.

Keywords

• district heating
• multi-criteria analyses
• pv thermal panels
• solar power
• solar thermal energy