Electricity and heat supply technologies for increasing the energy independence of certain territorial communities

Abstract

Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy system, which led to the blackout of entire cities and the termination of district heating, highlighted the risks and disadvantages of relying on large-scale district energy supply for communities. In this context, it is important to consider the development of the energy supply of communities in the direction of their energy independence. The purpose of the article is to form a list of electricity generation and heat supply technologies for increasing the energy independence of individual territorial communities, which are appropriate for implementation in Ukraine. The article considers the criteria for the analysis and selection of technologies for distributed power generation and heat supply. An analytical overview of the following power generation and heat supply technologies is presented: solar and wind power plants, gas piston and gas turbine plants, generators, batteries, co- and trigeneration plants, biofuel power plants and heat-generating boilers, heat pumps and electric boilers, and their grouping is performed according to the established criteria. All the considered technologies contribute to reducing the external supply of communities with energy resources and reducing losses during the transmission and distribution of electricity. Technologies that use renewable energy sources and local fuels are appropriate for implementation in communities in accordance with the availability of sufficient amounts of resources. Still, in most cases, they are not able to fully provide communities with electrical and thermal energy due to their insufficient quantity and high cost of equipment, such as batteries and heat pumps. Decisions regarding the implementation of a specific technology of distributed generation should be made after a thorough analysis of the conditions and possibilities of the energy supply of each individual community. This article is aimed at discussing the options of increasing energy independence and ensuring the reliability of the energy supply of territorial communities in Ukraine. Keywords: distributed generation, power generation, heat supply, renewable energy sources, cogeneration, biofuels, heat pumps.