07.02.2013 Views

PhD Thesis - Energy Systems Research Unit - University of Strathclyde

PhD Thesis - Energy Systems Research Unit - University of Strathclyde

PhD Thesis - Energy Systems Research Unit - University of Strathclyde

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

dedicated boiler, which runs continuously, or at set times, storing excess heat in<br />

hot water storage tanks [42]. This is particularly useful when using biomass and<br />

waste fuels with slow response times.<br />

Hot water heating and storage can also be a good outlet for excess electricity<br />

and heat in any size <strong>of</strong> renewable system, as they can be used, when possible, to<br />

heat stored water, which is then available as and when required for space<br />

heating or as hot water [43]. District heating schemes also utilise hot water<br />

storage, on a much larger scale, to allow their heat producing plant (whether<br />

heat only or CHP) to run at a constant load, or to follow electricity demand.<br />

This is particularly important where fuels and plant with slow response times are<br />

being used (e.g. Stirling engines, steam turbines, wood, straw and waste fuels)<br />

as this allows them to run continually or only follow larger demand trends. For<br />

example, a typical Danish CHP plant that produces 20 MW <strong>of</strong> heat via a steam<br />

turbine uses a 5 million-litre storage tank to allow continuous operation and<br />

supply with minimal waste [6]. However, for any size and type <strong>of</strong> system, the<br />

size <strong>of</strong> storage tank and rated output necessary depend heavily on the heat<br />

demand and supply pr<strong>of</strong>iles (and electricity demand pr<strong>of</strong>iles if CHP is being<br />

considered). Although tank sizes are likely to fall within an appropriate range<br />

for different applications [44], it is important to be able to determine appropriate<br />

tank sizes and rated outputs for different demand and supply mixes.<br />

2.4 Uses for Excess Electricity<br />

If there is excess electricity being generated in a system, this could be used for<br />

the production and storage <strong>of</strong> heat as described in section 2.3, or for the<br />

recharging <strong>of</strong> electric vehicles as described in section 2.1. Other uses for excess<br />

electricity include the generation <strong>of</strong> hydrogen for use in vehicles, fuel cells,<br />

engines or heaters, via the electrolysis <strong>of</strong> water, or the use <strong>of</strong> electrical- storage<br />

by various means, allowing stored electricity to be available when demand<br />

exceeds supply [45-47].<br />

41

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!