PV2Heat to Mongolia: Transitioning from Coal to Solar-Powered Resistive Heating with Thermal Storage to Improve Air Quality

Inhalt:
Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, is known for its extremely cold winters and high levels of air pollution, mainly caused by heating with anthracite coal in over 60 % of households and outdated coal-fired power plants. Own calculations show, that 48 m² houses burn 6365 kg of coal per year. In order to reduce coal usage, this study investigates the design and impacts of a PV-based heating storage system. For this purpose, a typical 48 m² residential house was modeled. In addition, the weather conditions for the years 2007 - 2021 were considered using typical meteorological year (TMY) data. With the assumptions made for the modeling, a PV installation capacity of 10 kWp could achieve a reduction of burned coal by 30.15 % per year. For a PV system with a capacity of 25 kWp, a reduction of 35 % is achieved. In addition, the integration of a thermal storage tank of 42.7 kWh into the PV2Heat system enables to store surplus photovoltaic energy during midday to heat the house at night. For the same 10 kWp PV output, the addition of this buffer storage increases the annual savings in coal to 50.1 %. The PV2Heat to Mongolia project therefore demonstrates a promising sustainable energy solution for Mongolia and similar climate regions worldwide.