Study of PV-to-Heat system for space heating in cold climatic conditions of Mongolia

Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, is the coldest capital in the world. In the winter months, temperatures of minus 30° C are commonplace. Old coal-fired power stations without flue gas filters and traditional heating with coal, wood and waste are used for heating. The population suffers from the extreme air pollution caused by this. Three years ago, the PV-to-Heat project, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), set itself the goal of finding sustainable, clean and safe CO2-free heating systems for households and neighborhoods in Mongolia. To realize this vision, the German-Mongolian researchers and industry partners has developed the technology of PV-2-Heat systems, which was successfully adapted to the harsh climatic conditions of Mongolia and tested pilot systems in various areas of the city.In order to utilize solar energy to meet the heating demands of public and residential building during the winter in Mongolia, a hybrid heating system combining grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) system and Phase Change Material (PCM) thermal storage was designed. Preliminary experiments to monitor its performance were conducted during the winter period of 2022-2024. In this paper, we analyze the efficiency of the energy utilization of the 16,56kWp ground mounted PV system in combination of the KraftBoxx PV-to-Heat Systems with PCM heatStixx installed for space heating purpose in cold climates of Mongolia. The paper presents technical feasibility of the PV heating system coupled with a novel PCM heatStixx. The effects of PCM storage usage on the heating performance of a pilot test Kindergarten building are studied.