Supporting a fast implementation of low-grade renewable energy and waste heat for district heating and cooling

Solutions developed

The overall objective of the SUPPORT DHC project is to support a fast implementation of low-grade renewable energy (RE) and waste heat (WH) for district heating and cooling (DHC) in Europe. This is achieved by supporting DHC operators in drawing-up transformation plans leading to efficient DHC systems as defined in the Energy Efficiency Directive revision and in particular concrete investment plans for a fast implementation of packages of low-grade RE and WH measures. In six European countries (AT, DE, IT, LT, PL, UA), the SUPPORT DHC project in cooperation with involved DHC operators demonstrates such processes and leads to investments on the ground for a variety of EU-wide DHC system cases.

Main results

The SUPPORT DHC project adopts a three-step approach to assist district heating and cooling (DHC) operators: 1) Supporting 11 frontrunner cases extensively, 2) aiding at least 27 follower cases, and 3) extending services to over 100 DHC operators in countries beyond the project's target. It focuses on capacity building for operators and stakeholders, addressing policy and regulatory barriers at local, regional, national, and EU levels, and disseminating gained knowledge to enhance DHC markets across the EU.