Framework conditions for the feasibility of innovative (LowEx multi-wire) district heating systems

Grid-based heating is already an important component of the German energy supply system, and particularly contributes to a reliable heat supply with regional added value in cities and towns. Almost 5.7 million households in Germany, representing some 14 per cent of the country’s housing stock, are supplied with local and district heating. However, renewable energy sources account for only about 10 per cent of this grid-based supply.

To a significant extent, the shift to green energy also demands a shift to green heating. Low temperature district heating networks hold out the prospect of being able to integrate renewable energies and waste heat in a cost-efficient and flexible way, and thereby make an important contribution to the success of a shift to green heating. Commercial and industrial sources of waste heat can only be tapped expediently through the infrastructure of grid-based heating.

The present paper “Framework conditions for the feasibility of innovative (LowEx multi-wire) district heating systems” summarises the project findings of the LowExTra research project and shows what framework conditions could facilitate the implementation of innovative and climate-friendly heating networks. The present study considers potential feasibility from four different perspectives of the research project:

• The technical feasibility of a LowEx multi-wire network (TU Berlin – HRI),
• The conditions for the economical operation of such a network (Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW)),
• Consideration of the necessary political conditions for realisation (adelphi) and
• The acceptance of such a concept by industry and potential users (nexus Institute).