IEA DHC TS5 – Integration of renewable energy sources into existing district heating and cooling systems (RES DHC).

The transition of DHC grids to RE technologies is at an early stage in most countries and utilities. In Subtask A, we will update the transition status for participating countries and identify existing examples of RE technology integration and applications for transition. In addition, we will review existing knowledge of RE technologies and applications, as well as existing tools and methodologies for mapping possible EE resources and potential.

Transforming a large-scale DHC system is a long-term process that requires combining technical and non-technical approaches and solutions while engaging all stakeholders in the process. Subtask B will focus on this long-term process and analyze, based on case studies – successful and unsuccessful – what bottlenecks, challenges, and key enablers exist in such a process and what steps are needed. Methods and tools for planning and simulation as well as for supporting the overall process will be highlighted. A transformation guide is developed and applied to pilot studies.

Exploiting the synergy between energy demand and renewable resources available in the area can be achieved by integrating them along the DH grid path in the form of decentralized integration of heat sources. There is significant untapped potential to supply DHC systems with heat from small distributed sources. The goal of Subtask C is to explore the conditions and requirements for successful integrations, the tools to analyze them, and the collection of some case studies to illustrate the lessons learned.