Analysis of the storage capacity in an aggregated heat pump portfolio

Energy storages connected to the power grid will be of great importance in the near future. A pilot project has investigated more than 100 single family houses with heat pumps all connected to the internet. The houses have large heat capacities and it is possible to move energy consumption to suitable time slots and this makes it possible to avoid some grid storage capacity. The energy is bought based on prediction of energy prices, weather forecast and an aggregated house model on the NORD POOL day-ahead market. The bought energy is then distributed to the houses using a model free sorting (scheduling) algorithm. The properties of this scheduling are investigated in the paper especially the flexibility and ability to trade on the intra-day regulating market is in focus.