Towards a common digital infrastructure for the electricity and heat sectors – Use Cases from the Project WARAN

The project

The heating transition is an indispensable step on the way to a climate-neutral energy system, as around one seventh of CO₂ emissions in Germany are caused by heating and cooling buildings and providing hot water [1]. In particular, sector coupling between electricity and heat offers potential for making the load from heating systems more flexible. At the same time, the electricity consumption of heating systems can be adapted to the increasingly volatile, renewable energy production and thus contribute as flexibility to grid stability and lower costs.

The digital transformation that is currently taking place in the electricity sector is to be transferred and applied to the heating sector. The aim of the WARAN project is to upgrade the digital infrastructure around the smart meter gateway and the necessary communication processes for the heating sector. The acquisition of high-resolution consumption data and the optimized control of generation plants and transfer stations are to be investigated as part of the project.

In summary, the WARAN project consortium is addressing the topics of heating and digitalization. The project focuses on the digital infrastructure and processes that enable more efficient use of heat and power-to-heat systems.

Methodology for developing use cases – the foundation for implementation in the field

The first step in the collaboration is the definition of so-called use cases. The use case methodology was used to develop the use cases. This serves to consolidate different interests in projects with a large number of different stakeholders and to outline the joint project.

It begins with a description of the economic and business level of the use cases by designing so-called business use cases, in which initial ideas are converted into a rough concept that defines, among other things, the roles, responsibilities and relationships between the stakeholders involved. An example is shown in Figure 1. Each use case should bring added value to one or more stakeholders. Use cases can, for example, have financial added value for the end customer or contribute to the stability of the electricity grid.

Building on this, technical use cases are developed that focus on the technical components, their functions and their interfaces, as shown in Figure 2. The use cases thus serve as the basis for successful implementation during the rest of the project.

The use cases include electricity grid-related use cases, heating grid-related use cases, market-oriented use cases and use cases with a focus on communication and data. To increase clarity, the use cases in the WARAN project were also divided into basic use cases and energy industry use cases. Energy industry use cases include all processes that are potentially economically relevant for stakeholders. The basic use cases are independent of the energy industry use cases in terms of time, as they contain processes that serve as a basis for the implementation of further use cases, but do not bring any added value of their own to the energy system. The corresponding assignment of the use cases is shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5. Detailed information on the respective use cases can be found in the use case profiles (see download).

Example: Local grid service according to §14a EnWG without HEMS

In the following, the subdivision into basic use cases and energy industry use cases is illustrated using the local grid service in accordance with Section 14a EnWG without HEMS. The corresponding illustrations can be found in the slide set (see download)

Conclusion

The WARAN project therefore aims to use smart metering systems from the electricity sector to achieve digitalization in the heating sector.

The use cases serve as the basis for implementation in field trials. In particular, the components, actors and interfaces that are relevant for the various use cases were identified. Discussions to ensure the interoperability of the components (in particular communication protocols) have already been held, which will considerably facilitate the integration and implementation of the use cases.

The consortium has already prioritized the use cases. Most of the use cases are now to be tested in a laboratory environment before selected use cases are implemented in field trials.

In addition to developing use cases and determining the flexibility potential of heating and cooling systems, FfE’s tasks in the project also include determining and evaluating the resulting grid load from different operating modes of low-voltage heating and cooling systems from an energy-economic perspective. In addition, FfE is supporting the laboratory and field tests as an independent scientific partner as well as synthesizing and communicating the results.

Literatur 

[1] Umweltbundesamt. (07.08.2014). Detaillierte Treibhausgas-Emissionsbilanz 2022: Emissionen sanken um 40 Prozent gegenüber 1990 – EU-Klimaschutzvorgaben werden eingehalten vom 15.01.2024. Detaillierte Treibhausgas-Emissionsbilanz 2022. (abgerufen am 07.08.2024)