Menu
Menu
Menu
Cities are taking the lead on the decarbonisation of district heating and cooling networks, with the use of heat pumps on the rise
The problems with excessive heat are clear to anyone living in the cities where thermometers posted record highs in summer 2021, and increasingly to lawmakers, who see the health and economic impacts of the raging temperatures
STORAGE POTENTIAL District heating systems are great ways to store clean energy during times of surplus generation
EXPENSIVE TRANSITION The shift to low-carbon heating networks requires significant investment and more space
KEY QUOTE Perhaps between one third and a half of district heating will come from electricity by 2050 in Europe ...
Try FORESIGHT - 30 days for €29
Development of sustainable buildings is moving fast, pushing them to being energy producers rather than energy consumers. One example is UN City in Denmark
The bigger the pool of energy demand, the less the ripples in supply from renewable energy are felt. Special report part 2/3
District heating, where heat from a central generator is distributed underground to warm a network of homes or businesses, is commonplace in Denmark and other Nordic and Baltic countries, but, until now, it has remained a rarity elsewhere in Europe
Despite an increase in sales in recent years, electric cars remain a novelty in many countries. One street in Norway, however, is miles ahead. Out of the 150 families living on Søndre Vei, a street outside Oslo, nearly 90% of them drive electric cars.
Denmark has led the way on decarbonisation of heating, with a rapid transition away from fossil fuels aided by its large scale adoption of heating networks over the past 40 years. Instead of exchanging individual heating appliances in every home and commercial building, the Danes are centrally converting their heat networks to renewable energy, saving citizens a pile of money in the process
Charlotte Søndergren, head of heat planning for Danish HOFOR, questions whether collective heating is the best long-term solution for all countries or whether smaller, individual heat pumps offer a better alternative in some areas.
Applying large heat pumps in industry is in its early days, but interest is increasing
Researchers in Germany are looking at further developing molten salt technology as a means to store heat and produce electricity
Decarbonisation of heating requires switching from systems and appliances that combust fossil fuels to those that rely on renewable energy. Nowhere is the switch more challenging to achieve for existing building stock than in the UK. If it can be done there, it can be done anywhere
Thousands of buildings across Europe will need to be renovated on an unprecedented scale if climate and greenhouse gas reduction targets are to be met. Lawmakers’ minds are turning to how best to undertake the Herculean task
