1. Start
  2. Press
  3. [2021-09-07] Guidebook to district heating technologies of the future
News | 2021-09-07

Guidebook to district heating technologies of the future

Lowering the temperature of systems used to heat buildings will deliver several environmental benefits. This opens the possibility of utilizing renewable energy sources and residual heat more efficiently. IVL is participating in the creation of a guide to the main driving forces behind low-temperature district heating.

– Lower system temperatures are an important when it comes to increasing the proportion of renewable heat sources in district heating systems in a cost-effective way, says Kristina Lygnerud, who studies sustainable business models in the energy sector at IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute.

The book has been co-produced by authors from different countries and sheds light on how lower temperatures can be utilized in heating systems in existing and new buildings and in district heating networks. The guide presents several case studies showing how low temperatures can be implemented and illustrates how crucial distribution costs and other factors are in achieving working business models.

The guide is a result of an initiative taken by the International Energy Council and is based on more than 250 literature references and 165 initiatives taking place in over a hundred locations around the world. The project has been led by Halmstad University and supported by funding from the Swedish Energy Agency and expertise from IVL.

– An overarching guide that addresses the way in which lower temperatures can be implemented in district heating systems and the benefits this can bring about has been lacking until now. The guide sets forth a path to the heat sources of the future. When it is no longer viable to burn fossil fuels, when forestry residues are refined rather than incinerated and waste volumes shrink due to increased circularity, it will be necessary to rely on the heat sources that remain – solar, geothermal, and residual, says Kristina Lygnerud.

Dowload the Guidebook here. External link, opens in new window.

For more information, please contact:
Kristina Lygnerud, kristina.lygnerud@ivl.se, +46(0)10-788 69 27


Subscribe to our newsletter