Potential Analysis and Optimal Management of Winter Electric Heating in Rural China Based on V2H Technology

In order to improve the air pollution problem in northern China in winter, coal-to-electricity (CtE) projects are being vigorously implemented. Although the CtE project has a positive effect on alleviating air pollution and accelerating clean energy development, the economic benefits of electric heating are currently poor. In this study, a system based on vehicle-to-home (V2H) and photovoltaic power generation that can effectively improve the benefits of CtE projects is proposed. First, a V2H-based village microgrid is proposed. The winter temperature and direct radiation of the Beijing CtE project area are analyzed. Extreme operating conditions and typical operating conditions are constructed for potential analysis. After that, a bi-layer optimization model for energy management considering travel characteristics is proposed. The upper layer is a village-level microgrid energy-dispatching model considering meeting the heating load demand, and the lower layer is a multi-vehicle energy distribution model considering the battery degradation. The results show that the distribution grid expansion capacity of the electric heating system based on V2H and PV generation is reduced by 45.9%, and the residents' electricity bills are reduced by 68.5%. The consumption of PV can be completed. This study has effectively increased the benefits of electric heating in northern China during winter. This helps the CtE project to be further promoted without leading to large subsidies from the government and the State Grid.