Page 41 - European Energy Innovation - summer 2018 publication

Summer 2018 European Energy Innovation 41
In order to deliver the best results
for the energy transition, efficiency efficient use of available resources.
in the heating and cooling sector
must be looked at from its two
defining perspectives. One: the energy
savings – reducing consumption by
a balanced cocktail of measures for
improving buildings’ envelopes to
making heating systems use less
energy. And two: the heat supply –
demand for heating and cooling will
not miraculously disappear, the energy
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DISTRICT HEATING & COOLING
we still use must be based on the
Saving energy in district heating and
cooling has been driving innovation
in the sector for many decades.
Most notably, the positive impacts
of digitalisation are already visible
in many ways. At heat production
level, advanced software solutions
ensure fuel optimisation and enable
the integration of different renewable
energy sources.
At distribution level, networks use Dana Popp
temperature optimisation software.
Sensors and analytics platforms can prevent electricity peaks or
monitor grids and pipes in real-time. blackouts.
Detecting leakages can be done
either with built-in smart solutions Let’s not forget that in addition to
and predictive maintenance or via energy savings, district heating brings
areal inspections with drones. At about significant environmental
consumption level, the use of smart benefits (reduction of CO2 and
heat meters is rapidly expanding. other emissions) and it serves as a
means to increase energy security by
Energy efficiency is also about decreasing fossil fuels imports. That
reducing heat losses in the is why the supply sources we use
transmission and distribution for heating and cooling are equally
networks. Modern well insulated important.
district heating pipe systems are
one of the most cost efficient ways Obsolete coal, oil and natural gas
to save energy. Older networks are boilers must be a thing of the past.
much more likely to suffer from Only the heat being wasted in Europe
higher heat losses, therefore replacing could cover 100% of our buildings’
inefficient pipes and general network needs – it does not make any sense
retrofit and optimisation can bring to let waste heat from industry or
significant energy savings. from more unconventional urban
sources (data centres, underground
Another consideration becomes more systems, water treatment facilities) go
and more relevant as we look at the up into thin air.
overall energy system: maximising
the synergies between the electricity, Reusing waste heat is a well-known
transport and heating and cooling and energy efficiency measure to
sectors. The heating sector has the increase the overall efficiency of a
luxury of not depending exclusively heat system inside an industrial plant.
on (renewable) electricity for its But it can be even more useful, when
decarbonisation. Deploying highly- the waste heat is recovered and
efficient district heating and exported outside the plant to nearby
cooling networks can save valuable commercial or residential heat users
electricity, much needed in other through district heating.
sectors such as transport. Moreover,
with cooling demand expected to
soar over the next decades, using
district cooling systems instead of
millions of individual cooling units