Page 44 - European Energy Innovation - winter 2018 publication
P. 44
44 Winter 2018 European Energy Innovation
DISTRICT HEATING
Getting to 1.5 degrees
Tackling one-third of global carbon emissions through heating and cooling
By Lily Riahi (pictured below), Lead of District Energy in Cities Initiative, UN Environment*
This means we can’t accomplish collector field area by 800,000 m2 by
the energy transition and be on 2020 (IKZ, 2017).
the path for 1.5 degrees to avoid
the most catastrophic impacts of Cities are harnessing modern district
climate change, unless we act now energy to meet their energy efficiency,
to change how we heat and cool our zero energy building and renewable
buildings. And that’s nothing short energy objectives. Paris historically
of a revolution – one that is urgently used district energy to reduce coal
needed, given the ticking clock the consumption and today is expanding
latest IPCC report has stated. In and modernizing the network to
planning and infrastructure terms, connect social housing, improve
2050 is the day after tomorrow energy efficiency and increase the
and everything must change, so we renewables share, powering 50%
cannot go fast enough. of the network with renewable and
recovered energy. From now and
But the biggest opportunities for into the future, district energy will
change often come by tackling the play an important role in carbon
biggest problems. This is where our reduction commitments, helping
work, focused on district energy, Paris meet its 25% reduction
comes in. commitment by 2020.
Heating and Cooling – the One Giant Leap: District Energy Imagine the energy and carbon
Opportunity District Energy. It’s pipes and water emissions we could save if we
Heating and cooling is vital to human and when done properly, it’s an accelerate the transfer and
existence. We don’t need these elegant solution to bring local energy replication of these experiences in
systems for comfort only. They are resources to our buildings – to cities and countries worldwide.
often a question of survival: regulating heat and cool as few as a dozen in
temperatures in extreme weather a district or an entire city. Modern That is why at UN Environment, we
conditions and keeping our vaccines, district energy systems connect launched the District Energy in Cities
medicines and food viable for long renewables, waste heat, thermal Initiative, to take exactly these kinds
periods. storage, power and thermal grids and of successes and spreading them
heat pumps. elsewhere.
But we face a problem. In Europe and
globally, half the energy consumed These hidden technologies are a big Fast-Tracking Cities and Bringing
is for heating and cooling, mostly for deal for climate change mitigation Impact to Scale
buildings and industry. Almost all this goals – modern district energy can When you consider that the average
demand is met by fossil fuels. In 2015, reduce primary energy consumption connection to district energy is 12% in
renewable energy accounted for only for heating and cooling by up to 50%. Europe and under 7% globally, we can
10.3% of heating. see big potential for growth.
Many countries in Europe are already
on the fast track to achieve their The Initiative is taking advantage of
climate targets, just by implementing this potential.
modern district energy technologies.
District energy knocked 20% off CO2 Launched in 2014, the District Energy
emissions in Denmark. Germany in Cities Initiative started with a few
is using district heating systems interested cities and committed
to expand solar thermal systems partners like Danfoss, ENGIE, and the
www.europeanenergyinnovation.eu
