Electricity Markets and Electrified District Heating: Turning Flexibility into Value (Webinar 2/3)

The second webinar in the “Electrification of the District Heating Sector” series focused on how district heating companies can use electricity markets to create value from flexible assets such as electric boilers, heat pumps, CHP units, storage, and batteries. The speakers explained how Danish utilities participate in day-ahead, intraday, balancing, and ancillary service markets, and how flexibility can reduce heat production costs while supporting grid stability. The webinar also covered the technical integration of electric boilers in district heating systems, their role in decarbonisation and grid balancing, and practical experience from Denmark. The final presentation introduced the Polish electricity market from the perspective of the transmission system operator, highlighting rapid growth in renewables, rising curtailment, negative prices, system stability challenges, reserve markets, and the future role of district heating in Poland’s power system transition. YouTube Chapters: 00:00 Connecting flexible district heating assets to electricity markets 01:25 Day-ahead, intraday, and balancing market access 05:00 Spot bidding, block bids, and price risks 10:30 Ancillary services and keeping the grid at 50 Hz 13:00 Capacity markets, balancing markets, and activation 15:20 Flexibility from e-boilers, heat pumps, gas engines, and batteries 19:10 Daily market deadlines and operational planning 20:15 Understanding heat demand, storage, and marketable prices 24:08 Q&A: How should Polish district heating companies start? 31:13 InnerPower introduction and the role of electric boilers 35:30 Electric boilers for decarbonisation and security of heat supply 38:00 How electric boilers integrate into existing district heating systems 42:00 Technical design, capacity range, and operating principles 47:30 Fast response, grid balancing, and low electricity prices 50:34 Q&A: Operating hours for electric boilers in Denmark 56:28 Introduction to electricity markets in Poland 58:30 Poland’s changing power system and growth in renewables 1:03:00 Curtailment, negative prices, and system flexibility challenges 1:10:00 Polish electricity market structure and balancing services 1:16:30 Capacity market, ancillary services, and system stability 1:22:20 Q&A: Heat pumps, EED requirements, and district heating transition 1:24:30 Closing remarks and next webinar