Page 51 - European Energy Innovation - Summer 2017 publication
P. 51
Summer 2017 European Energy Innovation 51
DISTRICT HEATING
proposals aimed at revamping of the heating and cooling strategy’s
Europe’s energy and climate policies vision throughout the new legislative
and aligning them with broader proposals: the decarbonisation of
international commitments under the European buildings based on energy
Paris Agreement. efficiency, the shift to renewable energy
and the synergies between heating
As more than half of Europe’s energy and cooling and the electricity system
is consumed for heating purposes, through means of efficient district
any policy initiative to decarbonise heating.
the energy sector would fail without
addressing the topic of heat. Today, The key legislative piece of this
around 75% of Europe’s heat demand package for our industry is without
is met with heat from fossil fuel based a doubt the new Renewable Energy
sources, namely natural gas, oil and Directive. The proposal includes for the
coal. The fragmented heating market first time a substantial part dedicated
makes it difficult to integrate more to the decarbonisation of the heat
renewable energy in the system, sector, as well as special provisions on
especially with a widespread use of consumer rights and market structures
individual natural gas boilers. in district heating.
Euroheat & Power works now closely The draft directive, in line with the
with policy-makers to ensure the uptake earlier published strategy, reaffirms
the strong conviction by European
and national policy makers that to achieve Europe’s long-term
district heating can and must play a greenhouse gas emission goals.
central role in decarbonising Europe’s
heating and cooling sector. This newly An immense opportunity to
found support opens some great decarbonise European heating is right
opportunities for district heating, and in front of us. European industries,
now it is up for the industry to live up to such as steel production or power
expectations and deliver its part in the production, currently produce enough
energy transition. surplus heat to potentially meet 100%
of the EU heat demand. However, most
The brand new article 23 of the of it is being wasted, even though the
Renewable Energy Directive draft is a technology to capture this heat and
key section which discusses the need direct it to district heating networks
to increase the share of renewables in is mature, affordable and already
heating and cooling. A leaked version widespread. An increasing number of
of the proposal, which was released district heating operators, especially
a few weeks before the directive was in the Nordic counties, is investing in
officially adopted, created an obligation excess heat capacities working with
for Member States to increase the share industrial installations, data centres,
of renewables in heating and cooling. hospitals, supermarkets. European
The text was unfortunately made less cities, for instance Frankfurt and
emphatic in the version that was later Stockholm, have placed excess heat at
officially published by the European the forefront of their decarbonisation
Commission, but it nevertheless strategies – it is a low carbon, cost
represents a first step in the creation of
a framework for dramatically increasing
the role of renewable energies in the
heating and cooling sector, working
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