Meeting UK heat demands in zero emission renewable energy systems using storage and interconnectors

Providing heat without emissions is a critical challenge to reach the 2050 UK net-zero target. Here, we simulate high renewable zero-emission energy system architectures with supply based on major options of district heating, pumps, and electrolytic hydrogen boilers. We adopt novel whole modelling approach that combines meteorology-driven hourly simulations demand storage, flexible technologies, interconnections European scale. Our results show systems consumer or pumps require about four times less electricity per unit heat, cost half from Furthermore, compare trade-offs between investment in different infrastructure components. For example, find that, compared reference scenario, increasing capacity by 33%, 200%, can lower storage up 50%.