Study of the Heat－Pump Innovative Business Model under the Framework of Virtual Power Plants

• Main Authors: Hsin-Lung Chang, 張鑫龍
• Other Authors: Jyh-Yih Hsu
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2015
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/22465630433516780858

碩士 === 國立中興大學 === 高階經理人碩士在職專班 === 103 === The development of heat pump system and virtual power plant in Taiwan has not yet mature. However, as domestic communities are gradually paying more attention to renewable energy, the framework of virtual power plant will be formed. The good opportunity for the development of heat pump system will be coming soon. In Taiwan, it is very important to explore the issue of how the heat pump system will be developed with the current trend of renewable energy to respond to market changes and adjust related innovative business model and its strategies. The study adopted “Delphi Method” to explore the business model of innovative management of heat pump system under framework of virtual power plant in Taiwan and plan the strategies in response to changes in the market. The author interviewed eight experts and scholars, including two professors from academia, the Secretary-General of Taiwan Heat Pumps Association, and five decision makers in supply chains of heat pump system. Interviewees filled in two rounds of questionnaires and provided professional opinions. According to the result of first-round survey: 1. The development of heat pump system in Taiwan has potential for steady growth, subject to the market niche. In particular, if Taiwan can follow the practice of advanced countries in terms of the innovative management of heat pump system under framework of virtual power plant and consider the development of renewable energy an indispensible part, the heat pump system will have a promising future in Taiwan; 2. The trend of global energy, governmental policy of energy, consumer awareness, and scale of market are key factors which affect the development of heat pump system in Taiwan; 3. It is recommended that the heat pump system in Taiwan develop its own brand to expand the scale of market, manage core technologies, and improve competitiveness; 4. It is feasible to rent the equipment or save the energy expenses to pay the purchase cost of equipment. However, the best way is to take individual clients’ best interest into account and provide different programs and increase customers’ willingness to purchase a heat pump system based on the concept of investment; and 5. It is feasible to consider the heat pump as distributed power under the framework of virtual power plant, combined with the demand response program proposed by the power company in the innovative business model, which focuses on the degree of consumers’ awareness and the attraction to consumers. Due to different professional backgrounds of experts and scholars, the focuses on questions varied. Accordingly, the second round of questionnaire was compiled based on the result of first round and provided for interviewees to choose answers to questions. According to the result of second-round survey: 1. The price is the most important key to the promotion of heat pump system, followed by market visibility, standard of governmental regulations, and subsidies; 2. Sales of heat pump system could be improved by providing after-sale service, reducing the price of heat pump system, and helping clients obtain premium demand response programs; and 3. The reason why consumers resisted the business model of integration of heat pump system and demand response program was that consumers did not understand the actual benefits generated from the heat pump system. Moreover, such business model was so complicated that consumers tended to remain status quo and resist the heat pump system. The study obtained the applicable business model of innovative management of heat pump system under the framework of virtual power plant with a favorable price in the demand response program. In addition, the study also proposed necessary strategies for development of heat pump system in response to gradually popular trend of renewable energy and distributed generation facilities. The core value of heat pump system is that the heat pump is one of renewable energy which is obtained from air, waters, soil in nature as well as a distributed generation facility which can store energy. Since the power supply from renewable energy is not steady, the energy storage system like heat pump is required to serve as an indispensable component during high-proportion power generation of renewable energy. Keywords: Virtual power plant, Heat pump system, Delphi method, Innovative business model, Energy service company, Aggregator, The third party