Thermal Storages and Power to Heat

When intermittent electricity production from wind and solar reaches a certain point the existing electricity production and consumption system will in periods not be able to integrate the intermittent production. The amount of intermittent electricity production can then be increased by implementing more electricity transmission capacity and/or introduce demand side management and power to heat, power to mobility or power to gas. This article describes the need for power to heat using the German and Danish energy systems as examples. It describes the technologies (heat pumps and electric boilers) in power to heat systems and gives examples of concepts, where power to heat is realized and how thermal storages are part of these concepts.