Evaluation and Visualization of kW / kWh Cost of a District Heating and Cooling System for Electricity Adjustment

A District Heating and Cooling system (DHC) with Combined Heat and Power (CHP) is able to not only satisfy regional heat and cold demand but also generate and control electricity by CHP. Therefore, a DHC with CHP has potential as control reserve for electricity adjustment (EA). In Japan, an EA auction was established to secure control reserve efficiently. In our previous research, potential of EA by a DHC for this auction has already evaluated. Furthermore, it was found that kW and kWh costs of a DHC for EA mainly depend on the heat and cold demand. Operators of DHCs need to comprehend the exact costs for EA when they bid on the auction. Therefore, fluctuations in costs for EA due to changes in heat and cold demand have been a critical issue for operators in decision making for the bid. However, costs for EA of a DHC with comprehensive assumption of various heat and cold demands has not been evaluated. Therefore, in this paper, the kW and kWh costs of an existing DHC are quantified and visualized as a multidimensional function based on the conditions of heat and cold demands. In addition, the factors behind those results are discussed. As a result, this research made it possible to predict the costs for EA of the DHC with heat and cold demand forecasts, and the operator could use it as auxiliary information in decision making for the bid.