Smart District Heating
District Heating - A tool for delivering net zero
District heating systems could be a key tool to reducing household heating emissions, which themselves make up 17% of the UK’s emissions.
Electricity co-generation and economies of scale mean that heat is typically produced with lower cost and carbon intensity when compared to domestic boilers. In addition, large-scale heat pumps can extract heat from sources such as rivers, sewers or even the Tube. Systems such as these are becoming more commonplace across Europe, especially in the Nordics where heat demand per capita is high.
Rapidly fluctuating demand, multiple sources of heat generation, and varying generation costs all increase system complexity. Despite this complexity, most district energy networks typically rely on basic models and control systems. Ultimately, this means they are reactive and
Case Study - Pirmasens
During a project that ran on a district heating network in Germany, ontologies were used to interoperably define the generation methods and connections, climate data, household demand and the energy market. Using this method, optimisation procedures were able to more holistically assess any external factors impacting the system, and the effects of policy changes. Connecting the electricity and gas networks allowed for simultaneous optimisation across both, minimising overproduction and maximising waste heat utilisation.
Results
During a project that ran on a district heating network in Germany, ontologies were used to interoperably define the generation methods and connections, climate data, household demand and the energy market. Using this method, optimisation procedures were able to more holistically assess any external factors impacting the system, and the effects of policy changes. Connecting the electricity and gas networks allowed for simultaneous optimisation across both, minimising overproduction and maximising waste heat utilisation.
“Something something something”
– Dr George Brownbridge – Senior Technical Architect
What were the results? A 50% reduction in CO2 emissions and around a 26% cut in operating costs.
Project Extension - Air Quality
Heating has an impact on air quality
Decision makers need more holistic information
Results
New visibility of impacts of heat generation on population.
This demo illustrates the impact of using an Energy from Waste (EfW) plant on the air quality of a nearby residential area.
This extension to the project underlines CMCL’s mission statement: