The use of digital technologies enables an increase in intelligence, efficiency and reliability of energy systems. On the other hand, challenges such as data security, protection and ownership have to be addressed. The aim of the IEA DHC Annex TS4 is to present the current state of the art or the digitalization of the operation of district heating networks, to identify obstacles as well as to elaborate recommendations.
IEA SHC Task 62 addresses the integration of solar thermal energy into wastewater treatment in an industrial context.
Through the implementation of a central heat storage and a new load management by means of mutual communication of all system components, the efficiency of the existing biomass heating plant in Weizberg, a historic and protected district in the city of Weiz, should be increased.
The aim of the “MD-to-Market” project is to develop the basis for the implementation of a first large-scale membrane distillation system (MD) in the electroplating industry based on the findings of the completed research project “Galvano-MD”.
The increased use of smart meters in district heating creates opportunities to apply a wide range of data driven techniques for optimisation and control. High quality data is essential for these techniques, and this project seeks to explore robust, automated data cleaning and imputation processes.
IEA SHC Task 55 aims to develop technical and economic requirements for the commercial market introduction of solar district heating and cooling (DHC) for a broad range of countries.
The Waste Heat Register Styria 2012 was able to initiate many waste heat utilisations. The new edition plays a key role in the Climate and Energy Strategy Styria to foster more waste heat utilisation projects.
Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have versatile potential to become the turnstile of energy and resource networks. An innovative heating concept is being developed and implemented at the Kapfenberg WWTP.
The topic of the industrial PhD project CollFieldEff+ is modeling and characterization of the thermal power output of collector arrays with covered flat plate collectors.
The main goal of this dissertation project is the development of new methods for building thermal energy storage models for dynamic system simulations. With these methods the development of numerical models should become faster, more efficient and less costly.