Load shifting to increase the match of consumption and renewable generation through added thermal storage, analysed for the case of domestic heating on the Faroe Islands

Load shifting is an element of Demand-Side-Management (DSM) that aims to move parts of the load on the electrical grid to another schedule with more desired features, e.g., showing better correlation of consumption with fossil free generation. One way to achieve load shifting is through energy storage, creating the ability to store energy in times of abundant electricity generation, and draw from the storage in times of scarce generation. The aim of this paper is to examine the possibilities of added thermal storage for heating in the Faroe Islands, using renewable power generation. This will be done by examining historical data of heat consumption for buildings using heat pumps, coupled with wind power production, to see if added storage can increase the share of load covered by power stemming from renewable generation, and in turn, reduce consumption generated by oil. So, in times with large wind power production and low heating consumption, and subsequent periods with no wind and large heating need, the prospect of added storage may be highly desirable for both the avoidance of non-renewable generation and reduced variability in the generation to consumption balance. As the respective storage management requires forecasts of generation and load, the requirements on the weather forecast precision necessary to draw full profit from this setup will be inspected and evaluated.