Optimum Electric Boiler Capacity Configuration in a Regional Power Grid for a Wind Power Accommodation Scenario

Wind power generation reduces our reliance on fossil fuels and can thus reduce environmental pollution. However, rapid wind power development has caused various issues related to power grid restructuring. A high proportion of the generating capacity of northeast China is based on combined heat and power (CHP), whose inflexible response to the peak regulation of power grids hinders the ability to accommodate wind power; thus, wind power curtailment is prevalent. Electric boilers can directly consume the excess wind power to supply heat during low load periods and thus mitigate the heat supply stress of CHP units. Therefore, electric boilers improve the power grid’s ability to accommodate additional wind power. From a regional power grid perspective, this paper discussed the feasibility of such a strategy for increasing the ability to accommodate wind power during the heat supply season. This paper analysed the optimum electric boiler capacity configuration of a regional power grid based on various constraint conditions, such as the heat-power balance, with the objective of maximising the associated social benefits. Using the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei power grid as an example, the optimum electric boiler capacity of the studied power grid is approximately 1100 MW.