A conference in Paris-Saclay addresses next-generation DHC networks • Lille is intensifying their ambitions to promote DHC • A new study evaluates DHC in Carcassonne • Read more about the developments in sustainable heating and cooling in this month's news update from France
On the 19th of April, the D2Grids programme, Construction21, ADEME, Fedene, FNCCR and Euroheat & Power co-organised a conference in Paris-Saclay dedicated to the role of district heating and cooling networks in the European green transition. Business Sweden attended the conference to engage with industry stakeholders and map workstreams that are in the pipeline for the heating and cooling sector for 2023.
Among other topics, the conference notably addressed heating and cooling networks in the context of the European environmental strategy, as well as an assessment of the 5GDHC pilot projects deployed in 2018 in Bochum (Germany), Brunssum (the Netherlands), Glasgow and Nottingham (the UK) and Paris-Saclay (France). The five sites have tested fifth-generation heating and cooling networks using local energy sources that historically have been overlooked in the heating and cooling sector. In essence, the 5GDHC model is based on an exchange of thermal energy between consumers with different needs, with the principal network transporting a low-temperature flow to active and distributed substations that locally raise the temperature based on the demand.
The 5GDHC projects aim to render both the demand and supply side of district heating and cooling networks more efficient; the test sites utilise both alternative sources of thermal energy as well as advanced demand management. On the Glasgow test site, the heat comes from a wastewater treatment plant, and in Bochum the heat is extracted from water in coal mines. On the demand side, the Paris-Saclay site has tested remotely controlled thermostats in several student residences with the aim of optimising consumption and thereby lowering the momentary demand load on the network.
Looking ahead, the D2Grids programme has also mapped potential future 5G network deployment sites in North-East France, as well as the Parkstad Limburg region (Netherlands), Flanders (Belgium), Luxembourg and the East Midlands and Scotland (the United Kingdom). The evaluation of these sites is ongoing, and the programme is currently mapping available energy sources, existing infrastructure, demand and supply profiles, the applicable policy frameworks, and potential funding opportunities. An article in Actu Environnement outlines that an industry alliance is expected to be launched next month with the purpose of evaluating the roll-out of new 5GDHC networks. According to Jeroen Roos of the Open Universiteit, the potential is huge – up to 40% of existing European networks could potentially be converted to the 5GDHC model in the future.
Read more in news article from Construction 21
Read more in news article from Le Journal de Grand Paris
Read more in news article from Actu-Environnement
Read more in news article from Environnement Magazine
Thanks to the Heat Highway commissioned in 2021, heating and cooling networks in the Lille metropolitan region have been able to recover waste heat from the Halluin waste treatment centre. With an increasing part of energy use being attributed to renewable energy, the city’s district heating networks are estimated to have prevented emissions of up to 66,000 tonnes of CO2 per year and have thus been hailed to play a key role the region’s energy transition. In light of these benefits, Lille Metropolitan Council have set ambitious targets for connecting new buildings to the local networks. As of July 1, 2023, newly constructed buildings or buildings facing a renovation of their boilers, will be required to be connected to one of the region’s networks.
Read more at Lille municipality’s webpage
As a step in the green transition of the Aude department in Southern France, the trade union Syaden has been charged by the local authorities to launch a study for developing a new heating and cooling network in Grazailles, Carcassonne. The study aims to evaluate the feasibility of connecting local heat-producing facilities to public administration buildings and public housing complexes in the region. In parallel to the feasibility study for a new network, Syaden is also carrying out an in-depth study of other existing heat sources in the broader Aude region, including an assessment of how the region manages cooling during summer months.
Read more in article from L’indipendant
Read more in article from the Aude Department
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