A New Evaluation Framework to Assess the Prosumer Efficiency in Thermal Source District Heating Networks

Thermal Source Network (TSN) district heating systems are a sustainable solution for integrating renewable energy and waste heat sources in the urban heating sector. These networks typically employ heat pump-based prosumers on the supply side. On the demand side, a heat pump substation at each consumer upgrades the heat received from the district heating network to the suitable temperature for a given building. However, there is a gap in the literature for an evaluation metric for assessing the efficiency of the prosumers in TSN networks. This paper proposes a new evaluation framework, the Prosumer Performance Index (PPI), to evaluate low-grade heat prosumers' efficiency in a TSN system from the aspects of energy, economics, and environment. This framework facilitates district heating owners' decisionmaking using low-grade waste heat in TSN networks. The simulation results demonstrate the variation of PPI over a year for four different scenarios of the central heat pump plant’s supply temperature setpoints. Overall, by promoting energy efficiency, economic viability, and environmental sustainability, the PPI contributes to advancing sustainable urban heating solutions in alignment with global climate objectives.