Abstract
Publically available data is presented comparing recent historical daily energy flows through Great Britain's electrical and gas transmission networks with a focus on domestic heat and hot water. When this data is expressed graphically it illustrates important differences in the characteristics of the gas and electricity demand; these include the quantity of energy delivered through the networks on a daily basis, the scale of variability in the gas demand over multiple timescales (seasonal, weekly and daily) and the relative stability and predictability of the electrical demand. As the United Kingdom proceeds to migrate heating demands to the electrical network in its drive to cut carbon emissions, electrical demand will increase, but equally importantly the variability and uncertainty shown in the gas demand will also migrate to the electrical demand, which suggests both technical challenges and opportunities for management of future energy networks.
Highlights
This communication presents historical daily energy flows through Great Britain's electrical and gas transmission networks illustrating the significant differences in the demand characteristics of these two main energy vectors
It is worth reiterating that this study only considers the daily energy use, which will significantly understate the variability in instantaneous power demands on the electrical network
Regardless of the future path of energy systems in the UK, the domestic heat demand in winter will continue to be greater than in summer, and as the UK moves away from the seasonal flexibility provided by natural gas, suitable methods to cope with high winter heating demands and variations over different timescales will be critical
Summary
This communication presents historical daily energy flows through Great Britain's electrical and gas transmission networks illustrating the significant differences in the demand characteristics of these two main energy vectors. Of particular note are the differences in temporal variability and magnitude. On a daily basis the total gas demand can be approximately four times the electrical demand in winter; gas demand exhibits significantly higher volatility. Daily electrical demand is more predictable and less subject to seasonal variation. These differences have profound implications when considering the potential transfer of heat demands from the gas network to the electrical network in order to ‘decarbonise heat’ as envisaged in the UK Climate Change ACT (UKCCA, 2008). The data analysed spans the period from October 2010 to January 2013
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