Abstract
Given the need for decarbonization of the heating sector and the acute need of a propane replacement in the U.S. Upper Midwest, this study quantifies the techno-economic characteristics of sustainable heating electrification in isolated rural, residential buildings in cold climates without natural gas supply. Archetypal buildings are modeled under four levels of electrification. At each electrification level, a parametric solar photovoltaic (PV) sizing analysis is performed and the total life cycle cost, renewable fraction and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are calculated based on the primary energy supply for each building type. Cost optimal solutions are stress-tested with multi-dimensional sensitivity analyses. The results show that the total life cycle cost favors heating electrification in all cases and combining PV with heat pumps can reduce residential building GHG emissions by up to 50% immediately. This effect will grow over time, with over 90% reduction of building emissions if renewable energy targets are met. In using primary energy and emissions along with the multi-dimensional sensitivities, this study unique demonstrates the complex techno-economic interactions of PV and heat pumps. It is concluded that electrification is an economically viable decarbonization method for cold climates both now and in the future.
Highlights
Natural gas is the most common residential heating fuel in the United States (U.S.), accounting for about 2/3 of space heating and hot water supply [1]
With the current grid portfolios and economic boundary conditions, the results in Fig. 2 show the relationship between primary renewable energy fraction (PREF), greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and total life cycle cost (TLCC) for each building efficiency considering the range of PV capacities
The baseline PREF for houses without PV is between 1.8% (a) and 3.6% (c), with higher efficiencies leading to higher PREF due to the higher fraction of electricity in the energy supply
Summary
Natural gas is the most common residential heating fuel in the United States (U.S.), accounting for about 2/3 of space heating and hot water supply [1]. Low-cost electric heating devices are already commonly available and represent the second largest share of heat supply [1]. This electrification, is generally supplied by resistive elements, and would be far more efficient with heat pumps. In GSHP, the design of the ground heat exchanger (GHE) is often the most critical component in determining performance and economics [23,24,25]. There is a critical relationship between climate, geology, electricity price, fuel prices, and inflation rates on economic outcomes [29] making a single design recommendation difficult for whole regions [30]
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