Simulation Study of a Heuristic Predictive Optimization Scheme for Grid-Reactive Heat Pump Operation

A heuristic predictive optimization scheme for gridreactive heat pump operation is introduced in this paper. It is based on thermal demand predictions (domestic hot water, heating demand) and does not require any numerical optimization which makes it easy to implement on real hardware. It follows the idea to use the heat pump to overheat the existing hot water storage in times of cheap electrical energy (oversupply). This way, converting electrical into thermal energy allows to economically shift electrical loads and hence to react at grid needs. The proposed optimization scheme is evaluated in a simulation study based on the simulation platform TRNSYS. A detailed evaluation of the algorithm in different application scenarios has been conducted by using a comprehensive system model of the investigated solar heat pump system. The evaluation presents the impact of different characteristics of the incentivizing price signal as well as prediction errors onto the load shifting and cost saving potential.